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2013/09/30 City news, features and updates September 30, 2013 Th i s W e e k i n H u n t s v i l l e During their regular meeting held September 17, City Council passed Ordinance 2013-41, amending Chapter 32 of the City Code of Ordinances. The changes passed made adjustments to Section 32-23, “Unreasonably Loud Noises Prohibited,” with respect to the control of level of acceptable noise within the City. According to Huntsville Police Chief Kevin Lunsford, the ordinance set the specific decibel level of acceptable sound, specified how decibel levels are to be measured, strengthened the language against loud noises of any kind, and addressed music emanating from automobiles. “The ordinance passed on September 17, which was related to noise regulations throughout the City, is a bet- ter organized and more intuitive collection of guidelines and limits,” Lunsford said. “Before completing this ordi- nance, we worked with local business owners as well as residents to develop something that was the most agree- able to everyone involved, and we also had Council re- view the document and provide suggestions. “We will be working with local establishments to facilitate the application of this ordinance to daily practice, and we will also have the ordinance available for viewing on the City’s Web site, www.huntsvilletx.gov.” Lunsford said the ordinance includes several updated elements including acceptable decibel levels and infor- mation on how those levels will be measured. “One of the most important results of the ordinance was the addition of decibel level limits,” Lunsford said. “As stated in the ordinance, the operation of any instru- ment or device that exceeds the maximum permitted sound of 65 decibels – regardless of the time of day – will be in violation of City policy. “As well, the operation of any such instrument or device between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. in such a manner as to be plainly audible at a distance of 50 feet from the building, structure or place where it is located shall be prima facie evidence of a violation of this sec- tion, meaning it constitutes an immediate infraction.” Lunsford said the ordinance pertains to all sources of sound, including business establishments, private resi- dences and even vehicles. “Now, our department has more leverage for dealing with excessively loud music coming from automobiles, bass systems or other sound generators,” he said. “Per the ordinance language, if an officer is 30 feet or more from a vehicle and sound or rhythmic bass is plainly audible, the operator of that vehicle would also be in violation of the ordinance and would be subject to appli- cable penalties.” Any infraction related to noise violation could result in a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a fine up to $500. For more information, visit the City of Huntsville Web site or contact HPD at (936) 291-5480. Expert in Every Office Title:Title:Title:Title: Library Services Technician/Children’s Coordinator Time employed with City of Huntsville:Time employed with City of Huntsville:Time employed with City of Huntsville:Time employed with City of Huntsville: 3 Years Education: Education: Education: Education: Currently pursuing Master of Library Science de- gree from Texas Women’s University on full scholarship; At- tained undergraduate degree in International Studies from Southwestern University in 2002 Job description: Job description: Job description: Job description: As a Library Services Technician and Chil- dren’s Coordinator, Valera conducts programming and spe- cial events for children and teens including the weekly Story Hour events, the summer reading program, special seasonal events and other literacy-based programs like “Read with the Dogs.” Valera also oversees and monitors the children’s col- lection, assists at the circulation desk and performs refer- ence tasks for adult patrons on an as-needed basis. Certifications/Memberships/Activities:Certifications/Memberships/Activities:Certifications/Memberships/Activities:Certifications/Memberships/Activities: Library Certification, Grade II - New Mexico; Member - Kiwa- nis Club; Member - Texas Library Association; Member - American Library Association Unique contribution to City of Huntsville:Unique contribution to City of Huntsville:Unique contribution to City of Huntsville:Unique contribution to City of Huntsville: “I conducted a major restructuring of the summer reading program when I came on as a staff member at the Huntsville Public Library. Previously, children and teens would partici- pate in the reading program to eventually earn trophies after a certain number of years. I developed a system where there are various levels of reading, and prizes are based more on the number of days spent reading. We also found a more exciting way to use the budget for the program, so instead of giving out trophies every few years, participants have the chance to win grand prizes like bikes, tablets or mp3 players if they earn the most points. We have seen participation in the reading pro- gram increase significantly in the last few years, and we hope to see that trend continue in the future.” Colleague perspective: Colleague perspective: Colleague perspective: Colleague perspective: Barbara Lewis, Friends of the LibraryBarbara Lewis, Friends of the LibraryBarbara Lewis, Friends of the LibraryBarbara Lewis, Friends of the Library “Janelle does a fabulous job with the children and their programming. The children love going and being a part of her Story Hours. She’s just a great asset to our com- munity and for our children, and I feel like my great- grandchildren learn many, many good things from her.” Janelle Valera (936) 291-5910 Offices at the Huntsville Public Library Council passes comprehensive noise ordinance Thoughts from City Manager Matt Benoit The City of Huntsville Parks Department is near- ing completion of a new baseball park in the Kate Barr Ross complex, which will allow the facility to serve additional citizens and potential- ly hold more special events. According to Matt Lumpkins, Parks and Leisure Director, the additional field was designed for use by all age groups, and will be available for youth baseball leagues as well as independent teams. “Right now, we’re putting the finishing touches on concrete sidewalks, building the press box, and waiting for the grass to grow in,” he said. “This new field – which is slated for use by the Huntsville Youth Baseball League – will be clos- er to the rest of the boys’ facilities to allow for more simplified use. “By building this new field, we’re also freeing up another field on a different part of the complex. The girls’ softball team will now utilize that field, and it is also centrally located with the rest of their facilities. “We feel this arrangement will be beneficial for the teams, the parents, and those who come take part in the tournament events.” Extensive cooperationExtensive cooperationExtensive cooperationExtensive cooperation According to Parks Superintendent Joseph Wiggs, the City currently contracts with a total of 10 adult and youth sports leagues, and has done so for over 30 years. “We have a good number of leagues that con- tract with the City to utilize our facilities year- round,” Wiggs said. “We currently have youth baseball, softball, basketball and soccer leagues, and we also work with the Huntsville Lakers swim team and the Aggie Swim club. “As well, we have adult softball leagues and adult soccer leagues, and these groups utilize not only the Kate Barr Ross complex, but also Josey Park. “Through the facility use agreements, the teams have access to the fields for all but 45 days each year, when we conduct annual maintenance and allow the grounds to recov- er.” For use of the fields, the City receives $5 per child per season or $10 per adult per season. Work continues on new Kate Barr Ross field Addition to increase services for sports leagues, citizens Community partnership comes in many forms, but one thing they all have in common is mutual benefit. The facility use agreements we have with many of the youth and adult sports leagues in Huntsville are just one example of how the City maintains vital working relation- ships with other entities in the area. Recently, the Huntsville Police Department and the Huntsville Inde- pendent School District combined forces in order to find a way to get more law enforcement presence at our children’s schools. Now, due to that partnership, officers from HPD, the Sam Houston State Uni- versity Police Department, the Walker County Sheriff’s Department and the Department of Public Safety may work together to provide more comprehensive protection and assurance to our students, teachers and campuses. I would also like to recognize a partnership with the Texas Depart- “While the leagues may charge a certain amount of membership, insurance or other registration fees, the City receives only the initial charge of $5 for children and $10 for adults,” Wiggs said. “Local teams also have the option to rent out Josey Field, for which we charge $25 during the day or $35 at night, along with a nominal deposit to en- sure cleanliness and maintenance of the facility.” Wiggs said the City also has a standing interlocal agreement with Huntsville Inde- pendent School District for the use of addi- tional sports facilities. “Through an agreement with HISD, we are able to use some of the tennis facilities and gymnasiums on local school grounds, and in return, the students are free to utilize our softball and baseball fields,” he said. “This allows us to provide special interest classes like Zumba for a very low admission fee.” For more information, contact Lumpkins at (936) 294-5720 or Wiggs at (936) 294- 5721. ment of Criminal Justice to allow the City to utilize offender work crews. That cooperation has led not only to a significant cost savings for the City, but in a level of completed work that would have taken 18 full-time employees to accomplish this fiscal year alone. In diffi- cult financial times, I don’t have to elaborate on just how important it is to take advantage of such an opportunity. Whether it’s HISD, TDCJ, SHSU, Walker County or any other local entity, we see that what benefits our community partners is of just as much benefit to us, and by extension, for our neighboring cities and counties. I would encourage the application of that mindset throughout Huntsville and Walker County, and I assure our residents that we will continue to seek those partnerships wherever we can find them. Please visit www.huntsvilletx.gov www.huntsvilletx.gov www.huntsvilletx.gov www.huntsvilletx.gov and www.co.walker.tx.us www.co.walker.tx.us www.co.walker.tx.us www.co.walker.tx.us for more election information. NOVEMBER 5, 2013 REGULAR AND SPECIAL ELECTION POLLING PLACES Precinct:Precinct:Precinct:Precinct: Location:Location:Location:Location: 101/102 101/102 101/102 101/102 Walker County Annex – 1301 Sam Houston Ave. Ste. 101, Huntsville, TX 77340 103103103103 Cook Springs Baptist Church – 1936-A State Highway 75 North, Huntsville, TX 77320 104 104 104 104 Northside Baptist Church – 1207 FM 980, Huntsville, TX 77320 201201201201 Walker County Storm Shelter/Veterans Complex – 445 SH 75 North, Huntsville, TX 77320 203/204 203/204 203/204 203/204 Walker County Fairgrounds – 3925 State Highway 30 West, Huntsville, TX 77320 205205205205 Elkins Lake Conference Center – 634 Cherry Hills Drive, Huntsville, TX 77340 206206206206 Huntsville Fire Station #1 – 1987 Veterans Memorial Pkwy, Huntsville, TX 77340 301301301301 Huntsville ISD Transportation Building – 95 Martin Luther King, Huntsville, TX 77320 302/303 302/303 302/303 302/303 Calvary Baptist Church – 1135 US Highway 190, Huntsville, TX77320 304/305 304/305 304/305 304/305 Riverside United Methodist Church – 2341 FM 980, Huntsville, TX 77320 401 401 401 401 University Heights Baptist Church – 2400 Sycamore Avenue, Huntsville, TX 77340 402/403 402/403 402/403 402/403 Phelps First Methodist Church – 13 Dorrell Road off FM 2296 (at Watson Lake Road), Huntsville, TX 77340 404404404404 New Waverly First Baptist Church – 460 Fisher Street (at corner of Hardy), New Waverly, TX 77358 The City of Huntsville’s National Night Out event will be held on Tuesday, October 1, and the Huntsville Police Department wishes to encourage all residents to come out and enjoy this free, family- friendly event. National Night Out - an annual event involving citizens, law enforce- ment agencies, civic groups, businesses and neighborhood organi- zations - is a chance for citizens to interact with local law enforce- ment in an effort to heighten crime prevention and awareness, as well as strengthen neighborhood spirit. The event will include participants from the Huntsville Police De- partment, Huntsville Fire Department, Huntsville City Council, Sam Houston State University Police Department, Walker County Sher- iff’s Office, Texas Forest Service, Office of the Inspector General, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Texas Department of Public Safety and other first responders. “National Night Out is a great opportunity for the residents and fam- ilies of Huntsville to interact with local law enforcement, learn more about protecting their neighborhoods, and enjoy free food and en- tertainment,” said HPD Community Service Officer Kenneth Posey. “This year, we will have new and exciting features at the event, in- cluding an appearance from McGruff the Crime Dog, several emer- gency vehicles, and trading cards of officers that will be handed out to children along with other giveaways. “We’re honored to be a part of organizing this event, and we en- courage all Huntsville citizens to participate.” A portion of the event will be held October 1 in the Target parking lot from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. This will provide an opportunity for citizens to interact with emergency personnel from the various first responder agencies in Walker County. After the event at Target, multiple caravans will depart from the Target parking lot and travel to local Neighborhood Watch parties where they will stop, allowing residents and first responders to visit and become more acquainted. “This event is important to the residents of the City of Huntsville because it allows them to get to know the first responders in their area, become familiar with emergency services personnel and equipment, and voice any concerns they may have about their ar- ea,” HPD Officer Joey Murray said. “There will be informational ma- terials available from each department, and citizens are encour- aged to ask questions and learn more about the law enforcement agencies that serve them.” According to Officer Posey, National Night Out is a perfect oppor- tunity to meet citizens in your area and discuss ways to enhance residential safety. “In the City of Huntsville, we have been working to strengthen and reinforce our existing neighborhood watch programs, and we are actively looking for volunteers to create new groups in neighbor- hoods that do not already have a neighborhood watch program es- tablished,” he said. “In the next year, we would like to improve these programs both with increased participation and communica- tions between the police department and neighborhood watch lead- ers.” Food and refreshments, including hot dogs and hamburgers donat- ed by Kroger, will be available in the Target parking lot. There will be several other volunteers involved and supporting the event, includ- ing Double Dave’s Pizza works, Farmhouse Café, Chili’s, Olive Gar- den, Potato Shack, Smoothie King, Dickeys Barbeque, Bandera Grill, Mama Juanita’s Mexican Restaurant and Iron Works Health Club. The event will also have moon-walks donated by Amazing McClain’s. “We at the Huntsville Police Department look forward to this event each year - it’s an opportunity for our officers to meet the citizens of the community in a less formal environment,” said Kevin Lunsford, Chief of the Huntsville Police Department. “The event has grown each of the past several years, and we hope to continue that growth and improve upon the great cooperation we enjoy with the citizens of our community.” Last year's collective National Night Out campaign involved citi- zens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials from over 15,704 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadi- an cities and military bases worldwide. Overall, over 37.5 mil- lion people participated in National Night Out 2012. National Night Out 2013 is expected to be the largest ever in its 30th Anniversary. The Huntsville City Council meeting scheduled for October 1 will be held at 5 p.m. to allow citizens to attend both events. For more information on the National Night Out event, contact the Huntsville Police Department at (936) 291-5480. National Night Out Parade Routes Parade Route 1Parade Route 1Parade Route 1Parade Route 1 2005 Green Tree, 470 Cherry Hills 322 Broadmoor, 1400 River Oaks Parade Route 2Parade Route 2Parade Route 2Parade Route 2 Montgomery Meadows, 2400 Block Avenue S 1600 Block Avenue R, Chimney Rock and Hickory Parade Route 3Parade Route 3Parade Route 3Parade Route 3 Badger Lane, Villages of Huntsville on Essex 100 Block of Smith Hill Road Magnolia Way and Eastham Various apartment Various apartment Various apartment Various apartment complexes complexes complexes complexes including:including:including:including: Gateway, Brook Place, The Forum, The Grove, The Arbors, The Villas, University Place, University House, and Encore The Huntsville Police Department encourages all residents to take part in the NNO event taking place in their neighborhood, or drop by another event to learn how to start a Neighborhood Watch group! Huntsville PD invites citizens to take part in National Night Out October 1 event to include local law enforcement, free family activities Where’s Waldo? The City’s Emergency Management Coordinator, John Waldo, is pictured to the left at a Huntsville facility - can you guess where? The first citizen to call (936) 291-5413 and tell us where Waldo is pictured will get the chance to suggest the location of the next Where’s Waldo? photo shoot. We’ll give you a hint: Waldo was surrounded by tools used to help citi- zens in need. Last issue, Waldo was at the TIP Warehouse. For more information on the facil- ity, see the story above. The City of Huntsville Solid Waste and Recycling Division would like to remind all citizens to utilize the Trash Into Plowshares (TIP) Ware- house, whether to drop off usable building materials or, for those who qualify, to obtain those items free of charge. According to Esther Herklotz, Solid Waste and Recycling Superinten- dent, the TIP Warehouse provides a completely free alternative to disposing of construction materials that are left over following con- struction or remodeling. From the warehouse, nonprofit organizations, low-income families, churches and other qualifying individuals or groups may pick up the materials, also at no charge. “After receiving funding from the Houston-Galveston Area Council and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in 2003, we officially opened the TIP Warehouse in 2004,” Herklotz said. “The facility provides a cost-effective means for getting reusable building materials to those who can use them. “Donations to the warehouse, received from construction contrac- tors, building supply companies, private citizens and more, are available for qualifying, low-income individuals and agencies, so everyone involved truly benefits.” Materials including bathroom fixtures, bricks, cabinets, ceiling tiles, doors, ductwork, electrical wiring, flooring, insulation, lighting fix- tures, lumber (without nails), metal framing, paneling, pipes, plywood, shelving, siding, tile, windows and wooden beams may all be donated to the TIP Warehouse. Herklotz said individuals claiming material from the warehouse will need to provide contact information – including name, ad- dress and phone number – and verification that the household or agency utilizing the materials meets income requirements. “Since the warehouse is HGAC funded, the materials that are donated are available to any area residents – we’ve had people come from Madisonville or Cleveland who have heard about this program,” she said. “We want to encourage as many people as possible to donate or to take advantage of the materials we have available. “We also encourage interested individuals to contact our office prior to making the trip out so we may discuss the materials currently stored in the facility.” The TIP Warehouse is located at 590 Interstate 45 North. Dona- tions may be received Monday through Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. from vehicles who have checked in at the facili- ty scale house. For more information, contact Herklotz at (936) 294-5724. Citizens, businesses encouraged to utilize TIP Warehouse The City of Huntsville Purchasing Division recently made the transition from BidSync, a paid service, to Public Purchase, a free, web-based e- Procurement service. Billie Smith, Purchasing Manager for the City, answered a few questions about the change and how it will affect both citizens and vendors. Why make the change to another service?Why make the change to another service?Why make the change to another service?Why make the change to another service? We made the decision to partner with Public Purchase, which offers all of the major elements we were previously paying. Public Purchase offers a very similar product at no cost to the City. We also feel this new system will provide transparency and keep our bidding practices open and easy to understand. Is Public Purchase also free for vendors to use? How does it work?Is Public Purchase also free for vendors to use? How does it work?Is Public Purchase also free for vendors to use? How does it work?Is Public Purchase also free for vendors to use? How does it work? Yes, the Web site – www.publicpurchase.com - is also free for vendors to join and utilize, and we are asking that all of our current vendors register with this new system to continue to receive bid notifications directly. First, a vendor creates a free account with the Web site using the fol- lowing link: https://www.publicpurchase.com/gems/register/vendor/register The vendors will need their National Institute of Governmental Pur- chasing, NIGP, codes. I can assist vendors in locating these codes, as needed. A vendor’s NIGP code basically standardizes what type of business services they offer, and vendors are able to have more than one type of code. From then on, when we issue bids, they are sent to vendors with NIGP Commodity Codes that correspond to the project for which the City is requesting bids. This will create a simplified flow of communi- cation between the City and its vendors, and vendors will be sent bids specific to their business type. What are some of the other advantages of the software?What are some of the other advantages of the software?What are some of the other advantages of the software?What are some of the other advantages of the software? Public Purchase will allow vendors to access bids from other govern- mental entities as well, including bid packages from national enti- ties, giving them an opportunity to review market rates and become as competitive as possible. Will the City’s bids still be available outside of Public Purchase?Will the City’s bids still be available outside of Public Purchase?Will the City’s bids still be available outside of Public Purchase?Will the City’s bids still be available outside of Public Purchase? Absolutely. At any time, vendors and citizens may log on to the City’s Web site, www.huntsvilletx.gov, and click on “Bids and RFP’s” in the left-hand column under the heading “Other Sevices.” This continued service will allow any vendor to view current bids and submit infor- mation as appropriate. City transitions to free procurement service