Loading...
June 2007 CCBe Sure Not to Forget Your Best Friend! The Huntsville Fire Department wants to wish everyone a safe 4th of July celebration. We know that most of the reported fireworks related injuries can be avoided. Our mission is to educate the public on the safe and responsi- ble use of fireworks so as to eliminate injuries. Thousands are injured each year in firework related accidents. The Huntsville Fire Depart- ment would like to remind everyone that it is illegal to possess or discharge fireworks in the City Limits. If you are found in violation of this City Ordinance, you will be fined and the City will take possession of the fireworks in your possession. Please follow these safety tips to keep you and your family safe this season. ¨ Use fireworks and sparklers only outdoors. ¨ Only persons over 12 years of age should handle sparklers of any type. Too many young people get burned by sparklers every year. By keeping sparkers out of youngsters hands, we can reduce these injury rates. ¨ Keep in mind that weather conditions will dictate the safety of the fireworks…check with the Huntsville Fire Department before the 4th to check if there is going to be a burn ban enacted during that period. ¨ Only use fireworks as intended. Don’t try to alter them or combine them. ¨ Fireworks and alcohol do not mix. Have a designated “shooter”. ¨ When all else fails, use common sense. Respect fireworks and sparklers as the great American tradition they are, but also respect the fact that they must be used with caution. Happy Fourth of July! City Connection City Connection City Connection City Connection JUNE 2007 Volume 3, Number 9 www.huntsvilletx.gov Before disaster strikes, talk with friends and relatives who live both inside and outside your immediate area about a reciprocal emergency plan. Make arrangements for them to obtain your pets if you should never return home. Or, if you are faced with a temporary disaster, the other party would be able to house your pets until you are on your feet again, and vice versa. ¨ If an emergency forces you to evacuate, take your pets with you! If conditions are too dangerous for you to remain, then they are also too dangerous for your animal companions. ¨ Make sure that you have appropriately-sized pet carriers for each of your animals. Write each pet's name on its carrier, along with your contact info and that of an emergency contact person. ¨ Have a harness and/or leash for each of your pets. When under stress, even the calmest dog or cat may try to run away from you. ¨ Attach ID tags to your pets. Be sure to include the name and phone number of a friend or family member that is outside of your area. You may also want to consider having your pets micro chipped. ¨ Make sure that you have enough emergency rations for at least one week: pet food, bottled water, bowls and a can opener. Also be sure to bring along a supply of any medications that your animals are taking. For cats, don't forget a litter box and cat litter! ¨ Assemble a packet of information for each of your pets and place the documents in a Ziploc bag. The packet should include: ◊ A health certificate with current vaccination information ◊ The name, phone numbers (regular and emergency) and address of your veterinarian ◊ Current, close-up photographs of your pets (in case your pet should get lost) Pet personality profiles ◊ Names and addresses of people who will be willing to care for your pets during an emergency ¨ Assemble a first-aid kit that includes sterile gauze pads and rolls, bandages, alcohol prep pads, instant ice packs, latex gloves, hydrogen peroxide, cotton balls, antiseptic solution, antibiotic ointment, a small flashlight, scissors, nail clippers, tweezers, a blanket, and a spare collar and leash. ¨ A list of various hotels that accept pets. If you have advance warning, as in the case of a hurricane, make reservations and plans to leave as early as possible. If you wait, hotels could be booked. Again, collect all these supplies and information ahead of time. Don't make the mistake of thinking that you can assemble necessary items at the time of a crisis. Just because we live 100 miles from Galveston, do not get complacent. Also remember the concern you have for your animals and keep in mind that in an emergency we will have a lot of people show up in our community seeking safe harbor. For questions or concerns, call John Waldo, Huntsville Emergency Management Coordinator, at 291-5945. The Huntsville Fire Department has recently placed a modular home in service behind Fire Station 2 (on Sam Houston Ave- nue). This home will serve as a welcome addition to our bun- ker program. In existence for over 30 years, the bunker pro- gram provides some of our younger single firefighters with a place to stay, in exchange for assistance with daily firefighter duties. There is a bunker program now in place at the follow- ing stations: Station 1- Daisy Lane and Veterans Memorial Drive, Station 2 – Sam Houston Avenue and 22nd street, and Station 3 – Kevin Williams Memorial Drive and 75 North. If you have any questions or concerns, please call Tom Grisham at 936-291-5941. JUNE 2007 CITY CONNECTION CITY CONNECTION CITY CONNECTION CITY CONNECTION PAGE 2 Spotlight on Parks KATE BARR ROSS MEMORIAL PARK 486 State Highway 75 N Kate Barr Ross Memori- al Park (KBR) was dedi- cated in June, 1974, and named in honor of Kate Barr Ross who served as City Secretary from 1926 to 1938 and again in 1944 to 1967. The property features a covered pavil- ion with a barbecue pit; playground equipment; picnic tables with barbe- cue grills; and open space. Kate Barr Ross Memorial Park is also home of the Huntsville Hornet Baseball and Softball teams. There are baseball, softball, and soccer/football fields to which local sports associations have access. Safety Town is an area at KBR for training small children in pedestrian safety. For a complete listing of all the parks in Huntsville, please visit the Parks website at www.huntsvilletx.gov New Fire Department Home New Heavy Trash / Large Yard Waste Schedule Recreation Services is gearing up to provide you with some great activities this summer. For a cur- rent listing of available programming and for more information, please visit the Recreation Services webpage by accessing the City of Huntsville’s web- site at www.huntsvilletx.gov. You can also sub- scribe to the Community Service Department’s newsletter “The Scoop!” 42 Dominoes Enjoy an evening with friends and meet new people while playing the “game of Texas” every third Fri- day of each month. Basic Fishing Skills No equipment necessary! Ever wanted to learn how to fish but do not have the equipment neces- sary to do it? You’re in luck – we do. Come out to the Huntsville State Park and join us on June 16, 2007 and July 21, 2007 for a fun day of fishing. Summer Reading Kick-off Recreation Services and the Huntsville Public Li- brary are partnering to provide an exciting Summer Reading Kick-off at the Huntsville Public Library from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on June 2, 2007. There will be recreational games, face painting, a rock wall, 2 moon walks, Skeeter the Clown, refreshments and more! HEAP The City of Huntsville is partnering with the Hunts- ville Independent School District to once again pro- vide the Huntsville Enrichment Academic Program (HEAP) to children ages 6 - 13. Registration forms are available at HISD Campuses, Huntsville Public Library, City Hall, the City Service Center, and Huntsville Family YMCA. For more information on this program contact John Fortner at 936-295- 1041. Start Smart Development Program Start your child off on the right foot. This six ses- sion course is designed to teach children ages 3-5 the basic motor skills that they need to play orga- nized sports in the future. For more information on this program contact Megan Crank at 936-294- 5725. Recreation Programs - Coming Soon 912 Avenue N Huntsville, Tx 77340 936-291-2973 Open Tuesday thru Sunday 2 pm to 8 pm $1 per person and children 6 and under are free Huntsville Aquatic Center Police/Fire Statistics April 2007 JUNE 2007 CITY CONNECTION CITY CONNECTION CITY CONNECTION CITY CONNECTION PAGE 3 Police:Police:Police: * * * Calls for service: 3404 * * * Accidents investigated: 110 * * * Animal Control complaints investigated: 111 Fire:Fire:Fire: * * * Calls for service: 102 * Main alarm calls: 16 Police Department Initiates Two New Programs Juneteenth The City of Huntsville Solid Waste Division will run regular garbage pick-up routes on Tues- day, June 19, 2007, Juneteenth. The Solid Waste Transfer Facility will also be open for business on Tuesday. The Recycling Drop-Off Center, located at 590 IH-45 North, will be closed to the public on Tues- day, but will open as usual on Wednesday. If you have any questions about the garbage collection, the Solid Waste Transfer Facility, or the Recycling Drop-Off Center, please call the Solid Waste Divi- sion at 936-294-5723. Solid Waste Holiday Schedule Special Need Registry - The Huntsville Police Department is pleased to offer the community a helpful new service to give greater peace of mind to our city’s senior and special needs population, their fami- lies, and caregivers. From time to time, our officers are called upon to assist a lost senior citizen or dependant person. Often these individuals are disoriented and unable to remember their names or where they live. Citizens of Huntsville can now register a family member with the police department by providing per- sonal information, medical information, emergency contact numbers for rela- tives, and a photograph of the regis- trant. To register a special needs person of ANY age, please complete and mail the special needs registry form to the Huntsville Police Department, 1220 11th Street, Huntsville, TX 77340. These forms can be found on the police de- partment website, http:// www.huntsvillepolice.com/, or can be picked up at any of the following lo- cations: The Huntsville Police De- partment, The Senior Center of Walker County, The Heritage Pro- gram through Huntsville Memorial Hospital, or Tri-County Mental Health/Mental Retardation Services. Engraving Program - This program enables citizens to bring items to the Huntsville Police Department so that an officer can mark these items, which are usually expensive pieces of equipment such as stereo sys- tems, televisions or VCRs, using a special engraving tool. The officer will engrave personal identification information, such as the owner's name and driver’s license number, somewhere on the item. If the item is too big to transport to the police department, the Huntsville Police Department has engravers that can be loaned out with a $20.00 deposit. On Monday, May 14th, officers with the Huntsville Police Department gathered together to swear in its newest officer. “We like these type of gatherings” said Chief Jean Sanders “because this means we are getting back one of our rookies from the academy that we haven’t seen for a couple of months and we are one step closer to being at full force once again!” The newest officer is Matthew “Matt” McDaniel. The Oath of Office was administered to Matt by Municipal Court Judge John Gaines. Matt was raised in Gladewater, Texas – between Tyler and Longview. Matt attended Kilgore Junior College on a full music schol- arship and was a member of the col- lege band. He transferred to Univer- sity of Texas at Tyler and graduated in May of 2006 with his Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. Matt has plans to pursue a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice Management at SHSU. Matt attended the East Texas Police academy in Kilgore. Upon completion of the academy, he took the state licensing test and scored a 93 – one of (if not the best) grades made by any of our recruits. Matt says for relaxation he runs and reads. He will have opportunity to do both in his new job. He will con- tinue to receive training and need to read to keep up with all the changes in the laws and court cases. Matt will also get the opportunity to run (more like chase!) in this job – some folks just don’t like the idea of going to jail!! We are glad to have Matt back and ready to begin his 13 weeks of field training. Matt will be an asset to the department and the community and we thank him for choosing the HPD to begin his law enforcement career. jsanders@huntsvilletx.gov HPD Swears in Newest Officer Attention utility customers:Attention utility customers:Attention utility customers:Attention utility customers: Credit Card Draft Now Available • • • • • ¨ Pay your monthly utili- ty bill automatically with your credit card or check/debit card ¨ Say Good-Bye to Late Fees ! Ask for an Authorization Form today! to bring children to the Wynne Home, and activity packets are supplied for them at no charge. Metal sculptures by renowned artist Charles Pebworth, who taught at SHSU for many years, are on exhib- it in The Brown-Wynne Gallery. The Friends of the Wynne operate an excellent gift gallery where the work of local artists, including one-of- a-kind original cards, is displayed and sold. Tours are given every day and self-guided tour infor- mation is also available. Hours are from 10:00 am - 6:00 pm Tuesday – Fri- day, and from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm on Saturday. For further information on the summer classes or the Dusty Art Sale please call 936-291-5424. Coloring Contest Children ages 3 - 17 are encouraged to use their im- agination and create a picture to show their favorite way to cele- brate the Fourth of July. Please turn in all entry’s at City Hall or the Public Library. Deadline - Wednesday, July 11th at 5:00 p.m. There will be prizes! Paper size: 8-1/2 x 11 PAGE 4 MAY 2007 CITY CONNECTION CITY CONNECTION CITY CONNECTION CITY CONNECTION City Calendar June 19 Emancipation Day (City Offices Closed ) July 4 Independence Day (City Offices Closed) Visit www.huntsvilletx.gov for a complete/current calendar of events Come see what Recreation Services has to offer by visiting our webpage at www.huntsvilletx.gov or call 936-294-5725 for a current program listing. Here at the library, we get a lot of requests for help finding the answers to eve- rything from how to make lye soap to who was the inventor of Post-It Notes. While we do not know the answer to all questions, we do know where to look. The reference staff com- monly uses books in our collection, TexShare and other purchased databases in research. Below are some of the more humor- ous questions asked of the library staff. Test yourself to see if you know where to find the answers. · How many BTUs does it take to heat a gallon of mash to the point of vaporization when making moonshine? · What is the difference between a novel and a book? · Is the Bible in fiction or nonfiction? · What are all the words to “Bye-Bye Miss American Pie” and what does it mean? · How long is a “jiffy”? How wide is a “hairbreadth”? · What do you call the dot over the letter i? TIP: When asking a question, be able to pro- vide as many clues as you can. The more infor- mation we have, the bet- ter able we are to find your answer. If you have a question, call the library at 291- 5472. Our team of ex- perts will be happy to as- sist. Huntsville Public Library – Got Questions NEED MULCH??? Please visit the City of Huntsville Solid Waste Disposal Facility located at 590 I-45 North Tons of FREE Mulch for residential customers only! Please come prepared to load the mulch yourself cblaylock@huntsvilletx.gov A Dusty Art Sale and Auction will take place on Saturday, June 23, 2007 from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm, with all proceeds support- ing operation of our com- munity’s Wynne Home Arts Center. A live auction fea- turing auctioneer David Drake of the Trinity Auc- tion Gallery will start at 12:30 pm., and there will also be a silent auction and a raffle. Visitors will find wonderful bargains on both new and “dusty” artwork, ceramics, jewelry, frames, photographs, collectible toys and antiques. Dona- tions of these items will be gratefully accepted at the Arts Center through June 9th. Mark your calendars and come enjoy a unique shopping experience at the Wynne Home on June 23rd! A four week Summer Se- ries of Classes will be offered for children and adults beginning on July 9 through August 3, 2007. Summer is the perfect time News from the Wynne Home Arts Center