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January 2007 CC City Connection City Connection City Connection City Connection January 2007 Volume 3, Number 4 www.huntsvilletx.gov Spotlight on Parks The City of Huntsville and Walker County developed this park under a grant with America the Beautiful - Urban Tree Planting Initiative a cooperative program between the USDA Forest Service and the Texas Forest Service. This .35 acre downtown park is the site of a spring where the town's founders first settled, and fea- tures native trees, FOUNDERS SPRING PARK 1000 University Avenue grasses and art work. Founder's Spring Park also provides additional parking for the down- town area and is located on the corner of Univer- sity Avenue and 10th Street. For a complete listing of parks with pictures and amenities visit our web- site at http://www.huntsvilletx .gov/community_serv/pa rks_main.htm Introducing Huntsville City Council —Part IV Mr. Bob Taven- ner is serving his second term on City Council rep- resenting Ward 4. Mr. Tavenner is a 34 year resi- dent of Huntsville and is the Busi- ness Manager for the First United Methodist Church. Mr. Tavenner has served on many community and city boards over the years and brings a unique perspective to the Council with his background in banking and ac- counting. Mr. Tavenner is one of the Council's rep- resentatives on the Finance Committee. Bob and his wife Jayne, are both graduates of Sam Houston State University. E-mail: btaven- ner@huntsville tx.gov Mr. Jack Choate was re-elected to his third two- year term on the Huntsville City Council in May 2006. He has served on both the Personnel Committee and the Finance Com- mittee of the City Council. Jack has worked at the Walker County Criminal District Attorney since 1997. He has been assigned to every court in the county, prosecut- ing juveniles, mis- demeanors, and felonies. He is currently the First Assistant Criminal 42 Dominoes Held the 3rd Friday of each month at West Hill Mall. For more information contact the Recreation Services Divi- sion at 936-294-5725. For an up-to-date listing please visit our website at http://www.huntsvilletx.gov/ community_serv/ recreation.htm District Attor- ney. Jack gradu- ated from the University of Texas with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Gov- ernment and then received his Doctor of Juris- prudence degree from the Texas Tech University School of Law. Jack is married to Debbie Choate who is a school counselor at Huntsville High School. The Cho- ate’s have two little girls, Abigail and Emily. E-mail: jcho- ate@huntsvillet x.gov Please visit www.huntsvillehorizon.com for the most recent updates to the planning process. Citizens of Huntsville along with the Employees from the City of Huntsville and Steven- son Beer Distributing collect- ed new and unwrapped toys to donate to M.D. Anderson Children’s Hospital. The toys were donated on Saturday December 16. Pictured above accepting the donations, are Mark Moore, Team Captain and Kevin McCarty, and Alice McCarty from the “City Lights” Re-lay for Life Team. JANUARY 2007 CITY CONNECTION CITY CONNECTION CITY CONNECTION CITY CONNECTION PAGE 2 Police/Fire Statistics November 2006 Police:Police:Police: ··· Calls for service: 3339 ··· Accidents investigated: 68 ··· Animal Control complaints investigated: 84 Fire:Fire:Fire: · Calls for service: 88 · Main alarm calls: 16 As your Huntsville Ani- mal Control Officer, I would like to remind everyone of some im- portant city ordinances that may affect you and your pet. RUNNING AT LARGE: This city ordinance states that a person commits an offense if they allow or permit an animal that they own, other than a cat, to run at large. All animals, other than cats, must be on a leash when they are exercised. The ex- ception to this would be that they are in a fenced in yard or on an exercise line. UNREASONALBE NOISE: This ordinance states that a person commits an offense if he inten- tionally or knowingly owns or possesses an animal, which causes unreasonable noise in a public place or in or near a private residence that the person has no right to occupy. Please be cognizant of your neighbors and attempt to keep excessive barking of dogs to a minimum. VACCINATE FOR RABIES: This or- dinance states that a person commits an of- fense if they intentional- ly or knowingly own or possess an animal that has not been immun- ized with an anti-rabies vaccine in the preceding twelve (12) months. This ordinance helps to protect both your pet and the community as a whole. I also want to remind you to have your pets spayed or neutered. Our stray animal prob- lems are often the re- sult of citizens not hav- ing their pets spayed or neutered. The Rita B. Huff Humane Society has a spay/neuter pro- gram based upon finan- cial need. If you think you may be eligible, contact them at 295- 4666. For any animal control problems or questions, please feel free to contact me Monday – Friday (8 am – 5 pm) at the Hunts- ville Police Department (936-291-5480). For all other times, call the Walker County Commu- nications Center at 936- 435-2454. My wishes to you and your pets for a great 2007! - Mike Clarke City U Applications Available After January 3rd! City U is a free pro- gram the Community Services Department has created for Hunts- ville citizens to get a first hand look at the various operations that make up the City of Huntsville. Each ses- sion will focus on a different department’s services, operations, and responsibilities. Information will be provided in several methods to include handouts, presenta- tions, facility tours, and other activities. Participants will be asked to commit to attend at least five of the six sessions. Ses- sions will be held each Thursday from 5:30- 8:30p.m. The first session begins on March 22, 2007. The last session, on May 1, 2007, will be a “graduation” ceremo- ny. Space is limited! City U class size is limited to 15 Huntsville citi- zens chosen through an application pro- cess. Participants will be selected to reflect the diversity of the Huntsville communi- ty. There is no regis- tration fee and some transportation assis- tance can be ar- ranged with prior no- tice from a select lo- cation(s). If you would like to contribute $1.00 to the utility bill payment assistance fund, called Project Help, we offer several options. Check the box on your payment coupon and include the $1.00 donation in your check amount. The donation can also be added when you call us to make your payment by phone. It is now possible to have the $1.00 donation added to your monthly bill. COULD YOU HELP? PROJECT HELP $1.00 DONATION AUTHORIZATION YES, ADD A $1.00 DONATION TO MY MONTH- LY BILL Customer Name: City of Huntsville Account # : Service Address: Customer Signature: Date: CITY OF HUNTSVILLE ANIMAL CONTROL WHAT ARE THE RULES? Applications are avail- able after January 3, 2007 at City Hall, City Service Center, Huntsville Public Li- brary, Huntsville Po- lice Department, and on the City’s website at www.huntsvilletx. gov. Applications will be due no later than 5:00p.m. Friday, March 2, 2007, and can be turned in at either City Hall or the City Service Center. sbrim@huntsvilletx.gov JANUARY 2007 CITY CONNECTCITY CONNECTCITY CONNECTCITY CONNECTION ION ION ION PAGE 3 How safe is my water? The City of Huntsville water supply has been rated as “Superior” by the TCEQ since that level of recognition was created in the mid to late ‘90’s. Prior to that we met the stand- ards established by the Texas Department of Health to be rat- ed as “Approved,” which was the highest standard at that time. As defined in Chapter 290 TAC, to be recognized as a “Superior Drinking Water System” in the state of Texas, a water system must exceed the minimum ac- ceptable standards of the com- mission in these sections: A) Physical facilities shall com- ply with the requirements in these sections. (B) There shall be a minimum of two certified operators with additional operators required for larger systems. (C) The system's microbiologi- cal record for the previous 24 months period shall indicate no violations (frequency, number or MCL) of the drinking water standards. (D) The quality of the water shall comply with all primary water quality parameters listed in the drinking water standards. (E) The chemical quality of the water shall comply with all sec- ondary constituent levels listed in the drinking water standards. (F) The system's operation shall comply with applicable state statutes and minimum accepta- ble operating practices set forth in §290.46 of this title (relating to Minimum Acceptable Operat- ing Practices for Public Drinking Water Supplies). (G) The system's capacities shall meet or exceed minimum water system capacity require- ments set forth in §290.45 of this title (relating to Minimum Water System Capacity Re- quirements). (H) The system shall have at least two wells, two raw water pumps or a combination of the- se with enough capacity to pro- vide average daily consumption with the largest well or pump out of service. This requirement shall also apply to treatment plant pumps necessary for op- eration in accordance with §290.42 of this title (relating to Water Treatment). (I) The water system shall be well maintained and the facili- ties shall present a pleasing appearance to the public. To receive or maintain recogni- tion as a superior or approved water system, the system must be inspected and evaluated by commission personnel as to physical facilities, appearance and operation. Systems which fail to meet the above require- ments in this section will be denied recognition or will have their recognition revoked. The signs shall be immediately re- moved on notice from the exec- utive director. Also, the City of Huntsville was recently the recipient of the “Total Coliform Rule Award.” This award recognizes systems that have successfully complied with the Total Coliform Rule without a single violation for 60 consecutive months. In achiev- ing this consistent level of com- pliance with the Total Coliform Rule, and quoting from the TCEQ website, “These systems are doing an exceptional job of protecting public health.” The public’s confidence in the water system as being safe and plentiful is an integral part of the quality of life that we are so proud of here in Huntsville and it is the number one duty of the Public Utilities department that we maintain that confidence. tthornton@huntsvilletx.gov Fire Prevention Coloring Contest Winners (pictured above, left to right) Aaron Wong Lee, Age 6, Kindergarten, Caleb Dupre’, Age 6, Kindergarten and Madeline Livingston, Age 8, 2nd Grade PAGE 4 JANUARY 2007 CITY CONNECTCITY CONNECTCITY CONNECTCITY CONNECTION ION ION ION City Calendar January 23 City Council Meeting at City Hall @ 6:00 pm February 6 City Council Meeting at City Hall @ 6:00 pm 20 City Council Meeting at City Hall @ 6:00 pm Visit www.huntsvilletx.gov for a complete/current A Holiday Open House and a book signing for The Wynne Home: Then and Now took place on Wednesday, December 13, 2006. The Wynne Home: Then and Now is the story of the Gustavas A. Wynne family and the home Mr. Wynne built for his bride in 1883. During their lifetime and through the generations since, the Wynne family have occu- pied a prominent place in the eco- nomic, religious and social life of the community and created an evolution of the original honeymoon cottage into the classical home of today. It is also the story of the magnanimous gift of the home to the City in 1998 and the reconstruction and adaptive reuse of the structure as a communi- ty arts center. Photographs both old and new document the history and open the doors to a home and to a lifestyle of generous contribution to the city and the region. The Wynne Home: Then and Now is now available at The Wynne Home Arts Center Gift Shop. Pick up your copy for only $15.00. Art, jewelry, stuffed bears, note cards, paintings, scarves, cookbooks and many other unique gifts created by local artists are available at the Gift Shop. Tours of the house are also available. Hours are Tuesday through Friday 10- 6 and Saturday 10-2. lpease@huntsvilletx.gov Preschool Story Hour! Huntsville Public Library Every Thursday at 10:30 am. Stories, songs, arts and fun! Listening to stories, interacting with other chil- dren, and creating arts, are all activities which will help prepare youngsters for school. For more information visit www.myhuntsvillelibrary.com/storyhour.html. The Huntsville Public Li- brary serves the commu- nity by supplementing education for all its citi- zens. One success story is the local Literacy Pro- gram. Many adults who sign up for the program are successful in achiev- ing their reading or lan- guage goals, with the help of volunteer tutors from the community. College students will dis- cover the Public Library is an excellent way to sup- plement the materials held by Newton Gresham Library. Sam students may also volunteer to perform internships and service hours which satis- fy their requirements for their college organization. Children need not be lim- ited to television for their entertainment experience. The Library offers cultural entertainment throughout the year. Upcoming events include puppet shows, chil- dren’s drama, and magic shows. Spon- sored by Friends of the Library, these perfor- mances are free to all. During the summer, the Texas Read- ing Club encour- ages youth to read for pleasure. Along with summer reading, the library offers Arts and Craft programs for the children’s enjoyment. During the school year, Reading is Fundamental (RIF) book distributions are held for area students. This pro- gram puts free paperback books in the hands of third ety of free databases through the Texas State Library. The site is free and researchers can find valuable information on health, business, litera- ture, and much more. For those who want to further their career by educational testing, Learning Express is also available on our home page at www.myhuntsvillelibrary. com. Learning Express is a test preparation da- tabase that offers prac- tice tests in subjects such as Firefighter, EMS, Health Careers, Math Skills, Reading Skills, High School Placement, College Entrance, Real Estate, Civil Service and many more. The pro- gram is free through our website. For more infor- mation visit the library or call 936-291-5472. grade children in order to foster the love of reading. The library partners with the Huntsville Kiwanis Club and HISD to keep this very valuable pro- gram going. Home school parents will find the library a valuable resource for supplementing their curricu- lum. Grant funding has enabled the library to pur- chase many DVDs to aid the student in areas they find difficult, such as Algebra, Science, Shakespeare, Writing and Grammar. Computers are available for research and staff is on hand to guide students to academic web sites. The Library’s home page provides access to a vari- Huntsville Public Library A Valuable Resource