Loading...
3-12 Connection www.huntsvilletx.govwww.huntsvilletx.govwww.huntsvilletx.govwww.huntsvilletx.gov CITY CONNECTION Volume 8, Issue 6 March 2012March 2012March 2012March 2012 Calendar March 2012March 2012March 2012March 2012 1 Planning & Zoning Commission - City Hall at 12 p.m. 6 City Council Meeting at 6:00 p.m. 1212 Avenue M 7 Yard Waste Trimming Collection 14 Heavy Trash & Large Yard Waste 15 Planning & Zoning Commission - City Hall at 5:30 p.m. TENTATIVE 20 City Council Meeting at 6:00 p.m. 1212 Avenue M 21 Yard Waste Trimming Collection 28 Heavy Trash & Large Yard Waste April 2012April 2012April 2012April 2012 3 City Council Meeting at 6:00 p.m. 1212 Avenue M 4 Yard Waste Trimming Collection 5 Planning & Zoning Commission - City Hall at 12 p.m. 7 E-Recycling Day - See page 2 11 Heavy Trash & Large Yard Waste 17 City Council Meeting at 6:00 p.m. 1212 Avenue M 18 Yard Waste Trimming Collection 19 Planning & Zoning Commission - City Hall at 5:30 p.m. 25 Heavy Trash & Large Yard Waste Submit requests for Heavy Trash pick-up before noon on Monday, the week of the pick-up at 294-5796. The City of Huntsville, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Sam Hou- ston State University, SHSU Small Business Development Center and Walker County have formed a partnership and will be sponsoring the 16th Annual Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) Vendor Show. The HUB/Vendor Show will be held in the Walker County Storm Shelter located at 455 State Highway 75 North, Huntsville, TX on Tuesday March 27, 2012 beginning at 9:30 am and concluding at 12:30 pm. There will be a vendor training session prior to the show between 8:00 am and 9:30 am. The training session will provide detailed information on how to do business with government entities. The main objective of the show is to assist HUB's in the Huntsville area on how to increase their customer base to include government entities. Each level of government has slightly different bidding requirements and this can be daunting to the vendors. One of the goals of the show is to inform vendors how to do business with different entities in hopes of ex- panding our vendor base while increasing HUB participation. Purchasers and end-users from the sponsoring entities will be on hand to allow the HUB's to showcase their products and services. There will be space for 100 vendors for this year's show. There is no registration fee to attend the show or training session. For more information please contact Billie Smith with the City of Hunts- ville at (936) 291-5495 or to register your company please call Lani Ma- ness with TDCJ at (936) 437-7061. Historically Underutilized Business (HUB)/ Vendor Show - March 27 The Natural Preservation Committee is committed to providing re- sources to the public to overcome the drought conditions of the last year. To that end, the City of Huntsville will continue to provide information to assist residents in mitigating drought losses by replacing lost trees, shrubs and turf grasses with locally-adaptive, native and drought- resistant species. As well, information is available on the City’s Web site which will assist residents in determining if their trees are definitely dead, questionable or likely to live. “There are so many Web sites out there that can guide homeowners in the process of tree replacement,” said Helen Belcher, Natural Preserva- tion Committee member. “We’ve provided a full list of Web sites, books and YouTube videos which can assist with the project on the City’s Web site, www.huntsvilletx.gov. “Specifically, the Native Plant Society of Texas Web site, the Benny Simpson’s Texas Native Trees site and the Texas Forest Service’s online Texas Tree Planting Guide should be of great help to local resi- dents looking for the right trees for Huntsville and/or the Houston ar- ea.” The Native Plant Society of Texas Web site, www.npsot.org, provides guidance and suggestions for locating native plant species. see Preservation, page 3 Natural Preservation Committee provides online resources Web sites, videos, books to assist in drought recovery Page 2 CITY CONNECTION Heavy Trash SpecificsHeavy Trash SpecificsHeavy Trash SpecificsHeavy Trash Specifics Heavy Trash/Large Yard Waste Collection is for residential customers only. Either an online form OR call-in is required (936) 294-5796. Requests must be made no later than Monday, the week of, by noon. Customers must leave their complete name, service address, contact number and a detailed description of the items to be placed on the pick-up list. Heavy Trash will be collected on the 2nd & 4th Wednesday of each month, while Yard Waste will be collected on the 1st, 3rd & 5th Wednesday of each month. Guidelines for Heavy Trash / Large Yard Waste Collection (1) All items must be at the street's edge no later than 6:00 AM on the day of the scheduled pick-up but no earlier than five days prior to the scheduled pick-up. (2) Items shall be placed no more than two feet from the street's edge, approximately five (5) feet from gar- bage cans and other obstacles such as mail boxes, utility poles, fences and parked cars. Avoid placing large brush and bulky items under low-hanging tree limbs, utility lines or cables. Heavy Trash (1) Heavy trash is large yard waste, furniture, appliances/white goods, material from minor household pro- jects and miscellaneous heavy debris. (2) Pile (including brush) should not exceed four (4) feet in height, ten (10) feet in length and five (5) feet in depth. If the pile exceeds these dimensions, this will NOT be considered acceptable Heavy Trash and shall be removed and disposed of by the residential customer. The following items and locations DO NOT qualify for Heavy Trash pickup: (1) Household garbage of any kind; (2) Tree stumps or small yard waste (bagged, canned or bundled trim- mings); (3) Vehicle batteries, parts, oil, tires, antifreeze or vehicles; (4) Commercial businesses, commercially generated heavy trash/large yard waste or tree removal service; (5) Construction, demolition or remodeling materials (to include but not limited to: drywall, siding, concrete, bricks, blocks, dirt, rocks, etc.); (6) Card- board or recycling; (7) Dead animals; (8) Pallets; (9) Barrels, unidentified sealed cans, paint cans, hazardous waste, swimming pool chemicals, water softener salt or chemicals; and (10)Property vegetation clearance (lot clearing). Yard Waste (1) Large yard waste includes limbs and branches which must be prepared for pickup by using the following guidelines: (2) Limbs and branches must be placed curbside and the cut ends must face the road. (3) Tree limbs cannot exceed (12) inches in diameter and must be cut to a maximum of five (5) feet in length. (4) Large brush must be stacked, unbound and in one pile along the road edge (see pile size limit above). These items shall be separated from any brush: (1) Appliances/white goods such as refrigerators, freezers, stoves, washers, dryers, hot water heaters, large microwaves and miscellaneous metal appliances. (2) Material from minor household projects such as a toilet, a sink, a door etc. (3) Miscellaneous Heavy Debris such as TVs, furniture, mattresses, lawn mowers etc. Page 3 March March March March 2012 CITY CONNECTION Another attachment from the organization’s Houston chapter – located at http://npsot.org/Houston/Information%20pages.pdf – provides tips on combatting soil erosion and other common plant- ing issues as well as information on invasive species. “When you’re looking for a native plant species and at the same time taking drought conditions into account, you want to look at trees for planting that will conserve water, require the least amount of care and will grow successfully in the local climate,” Belcher said. “The Native Plant Society of Texas Web sites can pro- vide information on some of the best trees for planting in Walker County, as well as notes on native vines and other plants. “The Benny Simpson’s Texas Native Trees site – www.aggie- horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/natives/ - can also assist in finding the right type of tree.” A very interesting tool to find native trees is available through the Texas Forest Service at www.texastreeplanting.tamu.edu/ By using the “Express Tree Selector” and entering your county and desired tree size, the web site will generate several alternatives that suit your personal preferences and climate requirements. Another application on the page, the “Custom Tree Selector,” takes several factors into account including tree color, leaf type and ground moisture content, making it easy to find the tree type that is perfect for your home. For more information on tree recovery and drought, visit the City of Huntsville Web site, www.huntsvilletx.gov, in the City News section of the home page. PreservationPreservationPreservationPreservation, continued from page 1 Entergy customers: Tree trimming information According to information on its official Web site, Entergy Texas is committed to trimming or removing trees that are too close to the power lines and may be likely to cause power outages or create a safety hazard. If you see a tree or branch that looks dan- gerously close to the power lines (pole-to- pole), you can call 1-800-368-3749 (1- 800-ENTERGY) and report it. A representa- tive of Entergy will assess the situation and advise what needs to be done. Citizens may visit Citizens may visit Citizens may visit Citizens may visit http://www.entergytexas.com/your_homehttp://www.entergytexas.com/your_homehttp://www.entergytexas.com/your_homehttp://www.entergytexas.com/your_home /tree.aspx for additional information on /tree.aspx for additional information on /tree.aspx for additional information on /tree.aspx for additional information on Entergy tree trimming services.Entergy tree trimming services.Entergy tree trimming services.Entergy tree trimming services. The page offers information on what En- tergy will or will not trim, trimming styles, tree health, landscaping and more. After a long-term drought, many homeowners are left wonder- ing what the health status of their trees and plants may be. Luckily, the Texas Forest Service offers simple tests to help. Trees can usually be placed into three categories following a dry year: Definitely Dead, Likely to Live, or Questionable. There are easy tests you can utilize to determine the possible status of a woody plant. These tests will need to be checked at several locations within the canopy of the tree. 1. Scratch Test - gently scrape the bark on a twig or branch with a dull knife or tool. If you see a moist green layer immedi- ately under the bark, it’s a good sign the tree is still alive. 2. Bend Test - gently bend a larger twig or smaller branch. The further you can bend this part of the plant without it breaking or snapping in two, the better sign the plant is still alive. Assessing your plants: Definitely DeadDefinitely DeadDefinitely DeadDefinitely Dead: Needle bearing/conifer trees that are completely red through- out the tree. Shade trees such as hardwoods that have dropped all their leaves AND are beginning to drop limbs or large pieces of bark fall into this category (utilize the scratch/bend tests). If your hardwood tree also has Hypoxylon Canker, character- ized by loss of bark with brown to gray mats of spores un- derneath, you can consider the tree beyond saving. Likely to LiveLikely to LiveLikely to LiveLikely to Live: Trees with some green or yellow leaves still attached. Some trees that dropped all their leaves early (utilize the scratch and bend test to verify the current status). QuestionableQuestionableQuestionableQuestionable: (Plants that fit somewhere between likely to live and definitely dead.) Pine trees with red or brown needles in the top of the tree and green needles in the lower canopy are in serious condi- tion and may not survive, primarily due to the risk of insect damage. * Exceptions to the above information: Bald Cypress trees (needle bearing) are normally brown to red in the dormant season and do drop their foliage each year. Pine trees with scattered yellow or red needles throughout the tree may have a good chance of growing properly in the spring. Are your trees and plants definitely dead, likely to live or questionable? Follow these Texas Forest Service guidelines to find outFollow these Texas Forest Service guidelines to find outFollow these Texas Forest Service guidelines to find outFollow these Texas Forest Service guidelines to find out Page 4 CITY CONNECTION Stats for January 2012Stats for January 2012Stats for January 2012Stats for January 2012 Fire:Fire:Fire:Fire: Police:Police:Police:Police: Calls for service: 4115 Accidents investigated: 61 Animal Control complaints investigated:77 Calls for service:115 Main alarm calls:18 Police/Fire: Police/Fire: Police/Fire: Police/Fire: EEEE----Recycling Day Recycling Day Recycling Day Recycling Day ---- Saturday, April 7Saturday, April 7Saturday, April 7Saturday, April 7 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Noon) Recycle old computers, computer parts, printers, monitors and other electronics for free!for free!for free!for free! To be held at the City of Huntsville Disposal and Recycling Facility - 590 I-45 North. If you have any questions about this event or about the City’s curbside recycling program, please call the Solid Waste & Recycling Division at 936-294-5743 or visit www.huntsvilletx.gov. 2011 STRATEGIC INITIATIVES2011 STRATEGIC INITIATIVES2011 STRATEGIC INITIATIVES2011 STRATEGIC INITIATIVES Huntsville residents enjoy a safe, healthy, affordable and historic community. Huntsville is an economically diverse and developing community. Huntsville residents enjoy and benefit from an attractive city with beautiful parks and lifelong educational and cultural opportunities. Huntsville is a well-managed, sustainable community that values its natural resources and provides exceptional public services. Huntsville is a friendly place where a warm welcome awaits both visitors and new residents. City Council utilizes strategic initiatives to serve HuntsvilleCity Council utilizes strategic initiatives to serve HuntsvilleCity Council utilizes strategic initiatives to serve HuntsvilleCity Council utilizes strategic initiatives to serve Huntsville During Summer 2011, the City Council in place developed a set of strategic initiatives to summarize their most important goals and hopes for the City of Huntsville. The purpose of writing the list of initiatives was to provide a framework for shaping the City’s operating budget, creating a set of top priorities for Council initiatives and City poli- cy. Today, with new Council members in place, the initiatives are being utilized to provide continuity from the goals accomplished by former Councils to the direction the current Council wishes to proceed. “The strategic initiatives were developed last summer by the previous Council during a retreat, and this Council is now in the pro- cess of looking at those strategic initiatives and seeing how they apply to what we do,” Mayor Mac Woodward said. “Our hope is to familiarize the new Council members with the strategic initiatives, how those initiatives relate to what we do as a Council, and how we work as a city.”