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2014/03/31 City news, features and updates March 31, 2014 Th i s W e e k i n H u n t s v i l l e City to hold Ward 4 Town Hall meeting - April 9 at Elkins Lake Clubhouse All residents welcome to att e n d ! City Council Ward 4 representative Joe Rodriquez will host a Town Hall meeting on April 9 to provide residents an opportunity to gain information on City projects in their area. At-large Council member Andy Brauninger will also be in attendance. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at the Elkins Lake Clubhouse, located at 632 Cherry Hills, and all Huntsville residents are welcome to attend. According to City Manager Matt Benoit, several staff members will also be present to provide information and answer questions. “During the Strategic Planning process, the Council expressed interest in establishing quarterly town hall meetings as a method of citizen outreach,” he said. “At the meeting, staff members including [Director of Public Works] Carol Reed and [Huntsville Police Department Chief] Kevin Lunsford will be present to address several upcoming City projects.” Currently, the projects to be discussed during the meeting include: (1) Rehabilitation of the lift station at the Elkins Lake Post Office; (2) Replacement of the Elkins Lake dam generator; (3) East Mosley Lane reconstruction project; and (4) Installation of traffic calming devices on River Oaks Drive. For more information, contact the City of Huntsville at (936) 291-5400. The City of Huntsville recently received an extremely positive report comparing its debt levels to peer cities throughout Texas, and citizens are encouraged to attend the April 1 Council meeting to hear more. During the meeting, Boyd London of independent financial firm First Southwest will present a study comparing Huntsville to nine Texas cities of similar size and population. The data indicates Huntsville’s comparative debt levels are far below area peers with respect to general obligation debt per capita as well as total debt per capita. “We are very proud to present the results of the general obligation debt ‘per capita’ peer comparison report,” said City Manager Matt Benoit. “Compared to cities of similar size and population, we are by far the lowest with respect to the amount of City-issued debt per capita. “Right now, our general obligation debt per capita is only $687, as compared to smaller cities which currently carry over $3,000 in debt per person. As compared to our total net taxable assessed valuation, our general obligation debt represents only 1.52 percent, which again is much, much lower than the other evaluated cities.” In the long-term, Benoit said the low levels of debt would allow the City Council to consider taking on new bonded developments and projects without affecting the tax rate. “Our debt levels are already low, but in the next five years, much of the debt we do have will be paid off,” he said. All citizens are encouraged to attend the April 1 Council meeting to hear the full presentation from First Southwest. City receives positive debt comparison report In this issue... City purchases new combination Fire Truck - page 2 Downtown Music Series starts April 4 - page 3 City to receive collection of works from Artist Richard Haas - page 4 Wynne Home Arts Center - Events in review and upcoming concert - page 5 During their regular meeting March 18, City Council approved the purchase of a Pierce Impel 75’ Custom Cab Ladder Truck for use by the Huntsville Fire Department. The fire truck, a 2014 Quint which serves the dual purpose of an engine and a ladder truck, will cost approximately $715,000 including all equipment and appliances. According to Fire Chief Tom Grisham, the department will be able to replace two of its current trucks with the purchase, and will also benefit from the updated technology integral to the vehicle. “We’re truly excited,” Grisham said. “This is a custom truck from Pierce Manufacturers, but since it was already on the assembly line when we started this process, there is a good chance we may have the truck by the end of April or the beginning of May. “Typically, it takes a year to a year and a half to go through the process of working with a vendor to define specifications and wait for the truck to be completed. Through this successful acquisition process, we’re getting a very good truck that fits the needs of our community about a year sooner than we would have otherwise.” Advanced technology The new Quint fire truck will replace two pieces of the Fire Department fleet originally purchased in the 1980s. The transition will not only simplify maintenance for the department, but will also allow the firefighters to work with the most up-to- date equipment and technology available. “Part of the price of the new truck includes four days of training for our firefighters,” Grisham said. “Pierce sends someone to complete four days of training, including two days on the maintenance and operation of the truck and between one and two days just on the aerial device. “Legally, the company cannot release the truck into our hands until that training is approved, which means our staff will have all the knowledge they need to operate the new truck properly.” Grisham said having another truck with aerial capabilities will come in handy as Huntsville continues to grow. “We have several large apartment complexes, Texas Department of Criminal Justice units and buildings on Sam Houston State University which could require the use of a ladder truck during fire events,” he said. “We are so fortunate to have the support for this purchase we have, because not many cities our size in Texas have two current aerial devices, and we clearly have a need for them.” Planned expense According to Kevin Lunsford, Director of Public Safety, the Fire Department was able to purchase the vehicle due to long-term planning on the part of the City Manager and the City Council. “During last year’s budget process, the City Manager took an earnest look at the age of our fire fleet and recognized the need for a new combination truck,” he said. “Because we were able to start budgeting funds at that point, we do not have to finance the purchase – this would not have happened without the foresight of the City Manager and the Council.” During the March 4 City Council meeting when Chief Grisham formally presented the purchase to Council, he also indicated that the two trucks the Quint will replace could bring the City between $10,000 and $20,000 each. For more information, contact Grisham at (936) 291-5941. Huntsville Fire Department to acquire new engine/ladder combination fire truck City staff make solid waste/ recycling presentation to Scott Johnson Elementary students Solid Waste and Recycling Superintendent Esther Herklotz and Assistant Solid Waste Superintendent Natalie Mimms spoke to a large group of Scott Johnson Elementary students in March about the many aspects of their division. The group was composed of 120 Kindergarten students, and both Herklotz and Mimms were very impressed with knowledge of garbage disposal and recycling demonstrated by their young audience. “We were amazed to see how many children knew about their green garbage cart, their blue recycling cart and what to place in each cart,” Herklotz said. “They especially enjoyed the demonstration of our Commercial Front End Load truck picking up a commercial dumpster, not to mention when we blew the horn! “Natalie and I were very grateful for the opportunity to work with Scott Johnson Elementary staff to coordinate the program, and we look forward to similar events in the future.” For more information, contact Herklotz at (936) 294-5724. Downtown Music Series The City of Huntsville Natural Preservation Ad Hoc Committee is now accepting nominations for the 25th Anniversary edition of the “Big Tree Registry,” a collection of examples of the many tree species present in Walker County. Nomination forms along with additional information about the Big Tree Program are available on the City’s Web site, www.huntsvilletx.gov, on the Natural Preservation Ad Hoc Committee page. To navigate to the page, scroll over “City Government,” click “Boards and Commissions” and select the committee’s page. “The Big Tree Program was initiated on Arbor Day, 1989 in order to document and recognize outstanding examples of the native tree species present in Huntsville and Walker County,” said Natural Preservation Ad Hoc Committee Chair Dan Jones. “Nominations for big trees were solicited from the public and organizations and compiled as a list, and subsequent updates were made in 1993 and 1998. “This year, the Walker County Historical Commission, City of Huntsville, Texas Forest Service, and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Walker County will be sponsoring an update and revision to the Big Tree Registry on the 25th anniversary of the program’s founding. This is a county-wide effort, so if you own or know of a large tree you would like to nominate, please contact us.” Jones said nominations by individuals, community organizations and businesses for large examples of any of the 93 known tree species within the county will be accepted through the end of 2014. An electronic copy of the 1998 edition is also available on the City’s Web site. “Many of the previous champions and other large trees have likely died or declined since the last registry was published, especially due to the droughts we have experienced in recent years, so many new trees are expected to be included during this revision,” Jones said. “When we complete it, the updated Big Tree Registry will be a unique and highly valuable piece of the county’s history.” For more information, contact Jordan Herrin, Natural Preservation Ad Hoc Committee member, at (936) 295- 5688 orjherrin@tfs.tamu.edu. Natural Preservation committee accepting applications for “Big Tree” champions First show April 4 All citizens are invited to join the City of Huntsville Main Street Program this Friday, April 4, for the first of four downtown music series events. JB Barnett (center), who will perform this Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., is a singer/songwriter from the Houston area who is often compared to John Mayer and Jack Johnson. According to his online biography, his music is a fusion of soulful melodies and catchy, inspiring lyrics. Logan McCune (left) and Mary Brett (right) will perform at the second show in the series, scheduled for April 11. McCune is a songwriter from Marquez, Texas who is currently recording his first solo album, and Brett is an acoustic performer whose music is inspired by classic folk artists. During the April 1 and April 15 meetings of the City Council, Public Works Director Carol Reed will present the 2014 City of Huntsville Water Conservation and Drought Contingency Plan for approval. According to Reed, the new plan features several revisions to the current draft, including updated census and utility profile information, water production volumes, drought plan stage trigger and release points, water use restrictions, outdoor watering schedules during drought conditions and utility customer classes included in restrictions. “The 2009 Plan, when implemented during the drought of 2011, was found to be unsatisfactory in many respects, and staff recommended a major revision for the 2014 update to address the shortcomings,” Reed said. “In addition, the expansion of the TRA Surface Water Plant and the completion of New Well 21 significantly change the water production capabilities of the City’s water system which must be reflected in the plan. “As the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality rules require community water systems providing service to 3,300 or more connections to submit an updated Drought Contingency Plan every five years, this was the perfect opportunity to address our concerns and stay in compliance with our state regulators.” The City began the process of revising the Drought Contingency Plan earlier this year, retaining the firm of Alan Plummer and Associates and considering several new elements. “Many types of possible drought stage conditions, stage triggers and water use restrictions were considered in the development of City to present updated drought contingency plan City receives gift of historical art Muralist Richard Haas donates 50 original pieces this plan, including the review of plans from comparable water systems,” Reed said. “The draft we’re proposing sets water conservation triggers at a percentage of our firm production capacity, or the amount of water we can produce with the largest component out of service. “This will serve the City more effectively because even if part of our system – such as one of our water wells – was down temporarily, that percentage-based trigger will still reflect what we’re actually able to safely produce and at what point water restrictions should be applied.” In addition to the changes made to the conservation trigger points, Reed said the restrictions outlined in the proposed draft have also been altered. “Our plan from 2009 is geared toward residential customers, which is typical for a drought contingency plan because the document is not meant to limit water-dependent industry,” she said. “However, specifically in Huntsville, commercial apartment complexes are some of our biggest users, so we have made changes which will require those types of entities to comply with restrictions.” The full draft of the 2014 City of Huntsville Water Conservation and Drought Contingency Plan is available for viewing on the City’s web site, www.huntsvilletx.gov. A physical copy is also available at Service Center, located at 448 State Highway 75 North, for viewing. For more information, contact Reed at (936) 294-5768. Original art by Richard Haas Richard Haas, the noted muralist who created a series of outdoor murals currently featured in downtown Huntsville, has donated 49 of his related drawings and paintings to the City free of charge. The pieces, which include completed paintings, sketches and even a Maquette of the downtown area, will be housed primarily at Huntsville Public Library with some pieces displayed at the Wynne Home Arts Center. "Richard Haas has created works for use in many cities around the world, and he was interested in placing those working pieces in the cities where the murals are located if suitable venues could be located," said Linda Pease, Cultural Services Coordinator. “Our public library seemed like a perfect fit as the staff is already accustomed to archiving and protecting similar works, and when we asked [City Librarian] Linda Dodson what she thought, she was thrilled to feature the work.” The Wynne Home, the Huntsville Public Library, the Huntsville Arts Commission and the Friends of the Wynne Home and Friends of the Library organizations came together to pay for the shipping of the pieces from New York City to Huntsville. “Over the next few months, we will determine which pieces will be featured in each facility,” Pease said. “This is a very significant gift which I believe the City will benefit from for years to come, and I would encourage all residents to visit the finalized displays.” For more information, call Pease at (936) 291-5422. Last-minute registration for Spring Art Classes High attendance for Rock ‘N the Arts main event After a week-long granite sculpture workshop featuring Artist Jesús Moroles, along with workshops in stone, clay, fiber, and dance, the Wynne Home Arts Center held a successful performance and art exhibition on Saturday, March 29. The event continued with a special dance exhibition at the Old Town Theater featuring live sculpting by Moroles and dancer Leslie Dockery, and the evening concluded with an Arts After-Party at the Sam Houston State University Satellite Gallery on University Avenue. Check out the Wynne Home’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/TheWynneHomeArtsCenter for a live video from the event and additional information. The Wynne Home Arts Center will offer a wide variety of Spring Classes throughout the month of April, and it’s not too late to sign up! According to Linda Pease, Cultural Services Coordinator, classes will be offered in areas including baton twirling, ceramics, clay, pottery, “Mommy and Me” Art, photography, collage, open studio, oil painting and drawing. “Participants may register for a class by bringing a registration form and any associated fees to the first class meeting if the seating limit for the class has not been reached,” she said. “However, no one may register after the second class meeting, so we would encourage any last-minute participants to call the Wynne Home as soon as possible to check for availability.” The full schedule of Spring Classes is available on the City’s Web site, www.huntsvilletx.gov, on the Wynne Home page. For more information, call (936) 291-5424 or email wynneintern@huntsvilletx.gov.