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2014/06/30 City news, features and updates June XX, 2014 Th i s W e e k i n H u n t s v i l l e City, Chamber to take part in SHSU Orientation- page 2 In this issue . . . Big Tree Registry - page 4 Huntsville to participate in I-45 Corridor geocache event - page 3 HPD offers home safety inspections - page 3 The Huntsville Fire Department would like to invite all residents and homeowners to a special event entitled “Ready, Set, Huntsville!” Beginning at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, July 8, HFD personnel will serve free hot dogs and beverages, as well as share information on the “Ready, Set, Go!” wildfire prevention program. Citizens will have the chance to see the newest addition to the HFD fleet – a 2014 Pierce Impel 75’ Custom Cab Ladder Truck. “We want to invite all residents out to Fire Station #2 for an opportunity to learn about tips and strategies to protect your home against the threat of wildfires,” Assistant Fire Chief John Hobbs said. “The ‘Ready, Set, Go!’ initiative is a program to equip residents living in areas prone to wild land fire with the knowledge and skills to adapt to living with wildfire, to evacuate safely when ordered, and if trapped, to practice learned skills to survive wildfire. “Especially in light of recent wildfire events in and around Texas, it is very important that our residents City to hold Fourth of July celebration, fireworks show Join the City of Huntsville Recreation Services at Kate Barr Ross Park on Friday, July 4, 2014 to celebrate the Fourth of July with family entertainment and a large- scale fireworks show. The Fourth of July celebration will be a fun and safe event for the entire family. Entertainment will commence at 4 p.m. with the fireworks show beginning at dark, weather permitting. “Come out and enjoy a fun-filled event to celebrate the Fourth of July,” Recreation Services Coordinator Natalie Reid said. “We’ll offer a wide range of family According to City ordinance, it is not permitted to possess, use, transport or purchase fireworks within City limits. Violators will be charged with a Class C misdemeanor, which carries a fine not to exceed $500. The exceptions are fireworks available for purchase at retail department stores, commonly referred to as "poppers." These products contain an amount of black powder below the regulated amount. In order to circumvent City ordinance, parties interested in holding their own fireworks show must apply for, receive and adhere to the permit requirements from the State Fire Marshall's Office. Please keep this in mind while planning for the Fourth of July, New Year's Eve and any other major event which traditionally integrates fireworks displays. For more information or clarification, contact the City of Huntsville Fire Department at (936) 291-3047. learn and review this information to be as prepared as possible.” Hobbs said representatives from the Texas Forest Service and the U.S. Forest Service would also be in attendance and available to answer specific questions. “We hope everyone will stop by and visit with us during the ‘Ready, Set, Huntsville!’ event,” Fire Chief Tom Grisham said. “This is a great opportunity for local residents to start preparing for a potentially very dry season and to get the information they need to protect themselves and their homes. “We are also looking forward to the chance to show off the Fire Station we’ve rebuilt, and as always, we look forward to giving the public the chance to meet the men and women of the local fire service who are working for them every day.” For more information, contact Hobbs at (936) 291- 5943. Additional information on the “Ready, Set, Go!” initiative is available on the City’s Web site, www.huntsvilletx.gov. Fire Station #2 is located at 2109 Sam Houston Avenue. Ready, Set, Huntsville! Event - July 8 at 6 p.m. entertainment including a rock wall, a face painter, balloon art, moonwalks, and karaoke. “Nachos, hot dogs, sno-cones, cotton candy, popcorn and drinks will be served, and food and drink prices will vary. Don’t forget to bring your coolers, blankets and chairs, and get there early to reserve your spot for the fireworks show.” Attendants, please note: no alcohol or glass bottles will be allowed on the premises. For more information call 936-294-5725 or visit the City’s website at www.huntsvilletx.gov. Reminder - No Fireworks within City limits The City of Huntsville will host an NFL Punt, Pass & Kick competition on Saturday, July 12 at the Service Center, and young professional football fans are encouraged to participate and exhibit their football skills. According to Natalie Reid, Recreation Services Coordinator, the competition is free and open to boys and girls ages six through 15 and will begin at approximately 1 p.m. “The NFL Punt, Pass & Kick football competition allows youngsters to showcase their talents in punting, passing and kicking with scores based on distance and accuracy,” Reid said. “The top finishers from each of 10 age groups at the local competition will advance to a sectional competition. “The top four scorers from the pool of sectional champions will advance to the Houston Texans Team Championship!” Age classification is as of December 31 at 11:59 p.m. local time of the current year. “We really want to see as many local football fans as possible participate in this competition,” Reid said. “Even if you don’t advance to the next level of the competition, you’ll get an opportunity to meet other local sports fans and take part in a fun, free event.” According to Reid, no football shoes, turf shoes, cleats or bare feet are allowed – only soft-sole gym shoes are permitted. Failure to wear gym shoes will result in the disqualification of the participant. For more information, contact Reid at (936) 294-5725. Recreation Services to host Punt, Pass, Kick competition City Council, Planning and Zoning Commission take part in joint session No Thumbtacks! The Poster as Art Don’t forget to stop by the Wynne Home Arts Center between now and September 30 to check out a special poster exhibit entitled “No Thumbtacks! The Poster as Art.” “I believe this exhibit is going to be very popular with citizens in several age ranges – the bright colors, the graphic designs and the famous names associated with the posters in this show are truly interesting,” Cultural Services Coordinator Linda Pease said. “Every work shown will be an original work, and while some were created in the 1890s, others will be more recent movie and travel posters.” For more information, contact the Wynne Home at (936) 291-5424. Photo by Joshua Yates, Huntsville Item Six members of the City Council and six members of the Planning and Zoning Commission participated in a joint session on June 25 in order to discuss the City’s Development Code. The group participated in a live survey, answering questions about specific elements of the code. During a joint meeting of the City Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission on June 25, the group discussed a working draft version of the Development Code. Working with Kirk Bishop, a Project Manager with Duncan Associates assisting the city with the rewrite, the group explored development districts, use regulations, parking issues, sign standards, enforcement and more. According to Aron Kulhavy, Director of Community and Economic Development, the goals of revision process as a whole include: - Addressing a “punch list” of issues identified in previous hearings and workshops; - Eliminating outmoded provisions, inconsistencies and redundancies; - Better integrating and referencing other development standards; - Ensuring the code is consistent with state and federal law; - Adding clarity, transparency and efficiency to the city development review process; and - Making the code as easy to use, administer and enforce as possible. For more information, visit the City’s Web site at www.huntsvilletx.gov. Grant-funded effort 60 percent complete - more than 3.3 miles of sidewalks installed Construction continues on Safe Routes to School project The Safe Routes to School sidewalk project is progressing on schedule and with significant results, and citizens are encouraged to take a look at many of the completed portions of work throughout the city. SRTS is a grant project funded through the Texas Department of Transportation, and when the project is complete, school children have more secure walkways to and from their campuses. When all work has been completed, sidewalks will be available for use in the vicinities of Scott Johnson Elementary, Huntsville Intermediate, Mance Park Middle, and Sam Houston Elementary schools. According to City Engineer Yellambalsi Ramachandra and CIP Manager Mike Goebel, more than 60 percent of the project has been completed in the last 10 months, and the rest of the project is scheduled to be complete in less than five months. “The City has been working to complete this project since 2009, when the Neighborhood Resources Director [Dr. Sherry McKibben] secured the funding for effort,” Ramachandra said. “Since then, our department has taken the project over, executing the construction and overcoming the challenges inherent in placing sidewalks in established residential areas.” As stated by Goebel, the construction has required some HUNTSVILLE ELEMENTARY HUNTSVILLE INTERMEDIATE MANCE PARK MIDDLE SCHOOL SCOTT E. JOHNSON ELEMENTARY SAMUEL W. HOUSTON ELEMENTARY Safe Routes to School - Project locations and current photos tailor-made designs composed by City staff and contractor Legends Landscape, LLC. “Some of our sidewalk locations were hampered by water meters, gas lines, mailboxes, trees, fence encroachments into City rights-of-way, utility poles and other obstacles,” Goebel said. “In several instances, we even had to move or reroute existing ditches in order to stay in compliance with federal government and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. “Nevertheless, as of the end of May, over 3.3 miles of concrete sidewalk have been installed. As well, 791 linear feet of concrete retaining wall has been installed to hold back earthen embankments, and we have also placed 1,831 linear feet of concrete curb and 81 concrete driveways to complete the process.” Upcoming areas of focus will include Highway 190 between Sycamore and SH 19, as well as portions of Dogwood Drive, Ramachandra said. “As always, we are very appreciative of our citizens’ patience during this project, and we feel the end result will be well worth their time and consideration,” he said. For more information, contact Ramachandra at (936) 294- 5760. 7th Street Avenue M Pine Street The City of Huntsville Neighborhood Resources Department recently had a unique opportunity to help Huntsville residents repair damages to their homes caused during Hurricane Ike. After the Houston-Galveston Area Council received an additional round of funding to assist citizens from eight areas including Walker County, the department successfully connected applicants for previous programs with HGAC Administrator Zelia Brown. Through their cooperation, a total of 11 homeowners were approved for assistance. “When HGAC received funding from the Texas General Land Office to repair and replace homes in Walker County that were damaged or destroyed during Hurricane Ike, we were contacted by Brown to see if we had any applicants who might be eligible for assistance,” said Dr. Sherry McKibben, Neighborhood Resources Director. “[Program Administrator] Lindsey Owings and I contacted several people on our waiting list for the HOME program, scheduled interviews and helped with application intake. “Since many of the individuals had filed for HGAC assistance in November 2013, much of the documentation had already been collected, so it was really just a matter of facilitating individual consultations.” “Dr. [Sherry] McKibben and [Program Administrator] Lindsey Owings know their residents very well. They have a great relationship with their community.” - Zelia Brown, HGAC Program Administrator City staff assists HGAC with Hurricane Ike reimbursements Neighborhood Resources division connects local grant applicants with new funding opportunity The Wynne Home Arts Center will offer a wide array of classes for children and adults this summer, and now is the time to sign up! Classes will be offered from July 8 through July 25, and interested citizens are encouraged to contact the Wynne Home to begin registration. “We are so excited about our summer art class lineup,” said Linda Pease, Cultural Services Coordinator. “With options for attendees of all age ranges and experience levels, we know everyone is going to have fun at the Wynne Home this summer!” Adult classes will include: - Oil painting on Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.; - Graphic design with Photoshop in English on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.; - Graphic design with Photoshop in Spanish on Wednesdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.; - Ballroom dancing on Fridays from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.; - Cooking and baking on Saturdays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and - Photography for non-professionals on Wednesdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. “Our adult classes are going to be truly enjoyable,” Pease said. “Graphic design skills are highly sought-after in the professional world, making this class perfect for anyone looking to update their resume. “Those just looking for fun might check out our ballroom dancing class, or try oil painting!” Children’s classes A new mix of children’s classes will also be offered beginning July 8. For each of three children’s sessions, to be held Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m., classes are planned such as notebook making, sculpture, ink blots and stencils, and music and crafts. A discounted fee of $65 per week-long session will be available for those who register for the full three-hour trac of children' s classes for one week or more. “The Wynne Home will provide three, one-week summer trac classes designed to give students the option of which classes they would like to take,” she said. “Students will be grouped in ages six to eight, nine to 10, and 11 and older, and a limited number of scholarships will be available based on need and date of application.” For more information on these sessions or other classes, contact the Wynne Home at (936) 291-5424, email atraub@huntsvilletx.gov or visit the facility’s Web site at www.friendsofthewynne.com. Wynne Home offering fun mix of summer classes In May, when Brown spent a day at City Hall meeting with applicants, an additional eight applicants were approved for assistance within a matter of hours. “Dr. McKibben was very instrumental in assisting me with identifying those applicants,” Brown said. “She and Lindsey know their residents very well. They have a great relationship with their community, and it was just very fortunate for me to be able to work with them and bring everything together.” According to Brown, approved homeowners will benefit from up to $90,000 each to have their homes repaired or reconstructed. Texas has also been selected as the pilot state for the Homeowner Opportunity Program (HOP). “Individuals approved for assistance will not only have the chance to have their home reconstructed, but they can also choose to relocate to another home within their county for $125,000 or less,” Brown said. “Currently, we have one resident in Walker County that will be taking advantage of that opportunity.” For more information, contact McKibben at (936) 291-5428.