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HomeMy WebLinkAboutReporter May 2011© City of Georgetown, 2011 VOL. 9 • NO. 5 A Publication of the City of Georgetown May 2011 Bonds for a Public Safety Operations and Training Facility will be on the May 14 ballot for Georgetown voters. The proposed site for the facility is on D.B. Wood Road one-fourth of a mile south of Williams Drive. The 20-acre property was purchased by the City last year. (Fire Station 5 is proposed to be built on the property, but is not on the bond proposal.) Earlier this year, a 16-member Citizen Task Force recommended pursuing a bond election for the facility. In March, the city council called the bond election for the facility. Proposed facility details 70,000 square-feet of interior space for: ■Police Department operations ■Fire Department administration ■Emergency operations center ■24-hour emergency communications center ■Indoor training and locker area ■Small tactical training building ■Evidence garage Projected timeline Design: 2011 – 2012 Construction: 2012 – 2014 Cost Estimated $29.5 million Property tax impact 5 cents* estimated tax rate impact *Growth in the tax base, as well as changes to existing property valuations, can affect the tax impact each year. Property tax impact 65-or-older Homeowners who are 65-or-older or disabled whose City taxes are frozen will not have their property taxes increased if the bonds are approved, under current City taxing procedures. Public Safety Operations and T r aining Facility Bond Election May 14 1 - Public Safety Operations Building includes Police Department operations, Fire Department administration, emergency operations center, 24-hour emergency communications center, indoor training and locker area 2 - Evidence garage A - Tactical training building Existing public safety facilities Police Department 809 MLK, Jr. Street 12,200 square-feet Built in 1911 Possible future use: art center Fire Department Administration 816 S. Main Street 8,200 square-feet Built in 1892 Possible future uses: leased retail, Visitor Center Early voting: May 2 – 10 Election Day: May 14 Mor e information and election details at georgetown. o r g City Council Election May 14 Also on May 14, voters will decide the mayor and council representative for District 6. Candidates for mayor are George Garver, incumbent, and John Marler. Candidates for the District 6 are Dale Ross, incumbent, and Rachael Greulich Jonrowe. Troy Hellmann is running unop- posed for the District 2 seat. Gabe Sansing, incumbent for District 2, is not running for re-election. Discover the latest news about the city at www.georgetown.org May Events The Georgetown City Reporter is a publication of the City of GeorgetownPublic Communications Department, P.O. Box 409, Georgetown, Texas, 78627. For questions or comments, contact KeithHutchinson, public communications director, at (512) 930-3690 or by email at keith.hutchinson@georgetown.org. Don’t Bag It— Compost! Organic wastes account for over 20 percent of landfill volume. Grass clippings or leaves that are left to break down naturally on your lawn or are put into an aer- ated compost pile will produce much less methane than if they are placed in a landfill. Grass clippings decompose quickly, adding nutrients that help reduce water loss and the need for fertilizer. Composting yard waste and organic matter from the kitchen produces rich organic matter you can use in a garden or planting bed. For more information on compost- ing, go to garden-ville.com. Economic Development Georgetown Winery Initiative Update To assist the outreach effort to wineries, the City of Georgetown Economic Development Department has contracted with Gene Richards, former assistant commissioner for marketing and promotions at the Texas Department of Agriculture who ran the GO TEXAN program and helped create the Texas Winery Passport. Since December, four successful wineries have visited Georgetown to explore an expan- sion location here. In March, Richards and Shelly Hargrove with Economic Development staffed a Georgetown booth at the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association annual trade show in San Marcos where they shared information on Georgetown and obtained several new leads. The City already has HARC-approved plans for a win- ery at the old fire station truck bays on Main Street. Summer Reading at the Library Your children can Dig Up a Good Book when the Georgetown Public Library’s Children’s Summer Reading Program (for ages 3 – 12) kicks off the first week of June. Each week in June and July there will be special events for little kids and big- ger kids, but as always, the emphasis is on getting all kids to read. Children who register for the Texas Book Club can keep track online of the books they read (or have read to them) and that will qualify them for the end-of-summer prizes. All events and programs are free and open to the public, but you must have a library card to check out books. For more information contact Rosa Garcia at rosa.garcia@georgetown.org,or go online to: library.georgetown.org. The library’s Teen Summer Reading Program (for teens age 12 – 18) will celebrate Summer: Read Stuff Do Stuff Eat Stuff. During the months of June and July there will be arts and crafts programs, video games, movies, a drawing workshop, food, drinks and much more! Teens who read or attend events for a total of 10 hours or more will have a chance to win the grand prize. In addition, teen artists should consider entering the third annual art contest. For more infor- mation visit the website at teen- space.georgetown.org or email Bethni King at bethni.king@georgetown.org. Summer Water Conservation Rates Summer water conservation rates are in effect for June through October billings. At 19,000 gallons of water use in a month, the rate increases from $2.25 to $3.00 per thousand gallons for residents and from $2.60 to $3.35 for customers outside City Limits. Higher rates apply at 30,000 gallons, 40,000 gallons, and 75,000 gallons. See water.georgetown.org for details. Sign up for AquaAlerts You may be able to receive automatic AquaAlerts when your monthly use exceeds a pre- set level. Sign up online at water.georgetown.org or call the Utility Billing Office at (512) 930-3640. Starting on May 1 and lasting through September 30, the following mandatory restric- tions apply to outdoor water use for City of Georgetown water customers. Water no more than three times each week, and follow this schedule for irrigation sys- tems and sprinklers, based on the last digit of your address number: Odd addresses Tuesday and/or Thursday and/or Saturday Even addresses Wednesday and/or Friday and/or Sunday Watering is not permitted during the day from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Watering with a hand-held hose or bucket can be done any time of day. Violations of these restrictions may result in fines. Starts May 1Summer Watering Plan Farmers Markets Sun City Market, Tuesdays 9 a.m. to Noon, 2 Texas Drive at Social Center Georgetown Market, Thursdays 3:30 - 6:30 p.m., E. Morrow Street Details at www.gtfma.com The Palace Theater Cabaret, May 13 – June 12 Details at GeorgetownPalace.com, or call (512) 869-7469. First Friday, May 6 Downtown live music, shops and restaurants are open late. See the Downtown Georgetown Association website at TheGeorgetownSquare.com. Market Days, May 14 Handmade arts and crafts, food, and more on the Square from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Details at TheGeorgetownSquare.com. May 28 - All swimming pools open for summer regular hours Memorial Day May 30 City facilities closed Normal solid waste and recycling collection