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HomeMy WebLinkAboutreporter.jan05VOL.3 • NO.1 A Publication of the City of Georgetown January 2005 © City of Georgetown, 2005 In November, the winning design- ers in the Kids’ Card contest were announced and their new designs unveiled. The two winning designs will adorn new Georgetown Public Library cards that will be available in January. Cati Alvarez, a first-grader at Purl Elementary in Georgetown, was the winner in the grades K-2 cate- gory. Her design features a girl standing on a flower-covered hill underneath the word “Read.” Tess Dodge, a third-grader at Williams Elementary in Georgetown who won in the grades 3-5 category, created a design with two cartoon characters and the phrase, “Read at the Georgetown Public Library.” More than 3,000 Georgetown ele- mentary school students participat- ed in the contest, including chil- dren from Cooper, Ford, Frost, Pickett, Purl, Village, and Williams elementary schools, Grace Academy, and several homeschool- ers. Art teachers at the schools encouraged students to participate in the contest, which was spon- sored by the Friends of the Library. Retired art teachers Rosemarie Dockery and Bertha Markese served as judges for the contest. As the Fine Arts Director for the Georgetown Independent School District, Charles Aguillon helped to publicize and coordinate the contest within the elementary schools. Friends of the Library member Robyn Clay organized the contest, and was overwhelmed at the 3,000 entries that were submit- ted. “I was very pleased with the turnout in the contest—it was incredible,” said Clay. Offering library cards that feature children’s artwork is a project that Children’s Librarian Rosa Garcia began to work on four years ago. “It’s a fantastic way to recognize the kids in Georgetown,” says Garcia. “We thank all those who participated in the contest, includ- ing Mr. Aguillon, the art teachers in the schools, the judges, the Friends, and most of all the kids, who made it such a success.” Any child who participated in the contest can exchange their Georgetown Public Library card for one of the two new Kids’ Cards at no cost when they are available in January. For others who would like a new Kids’ Card or for dupli- cate copies and replacements for lost cards, the cost is $1 each. The Friends of the Library provided funds to pay for the cost of pro- ducing the new cards. For more information, contact Rosa Garcia, Children’s Librarian at the Georgetown Public Library at (512) 930-3551, or visit the library’s web site at www.george- towntex.org. Got a Ticket? Pay It Online! Payments for City of Georgetown traffic fines are now accepted 24- hours at www.georgetown.org. Visa, MasterCard, or Discover cards accepted. Georgetown Municipal Court accepts online payments for Class C misdemeanors for offenders 18 or older at the time of the offense, including violations that are in warrant status. (Payments for alco- hol offenses cannot be accepted online.) For details, call the City of Georgetown Municipal Court at (512) 930-3625. Lost a Dog or Cat? Have you lost your dog or cat? Or would you like to know what ani- mals are available for adoption at the Georgetown Animal Shelter? Now you can access all that infor- mation from the Georgetown City web site. Just go to www.george- town.org, click on “Departments,” then “Animal Services,” and then chose the links to dogs or cats for adoption. This site is updated twice each day. If you have lost a dog in the morning and it is picked up by Animal Control or brought to the Shelter, it will appear on our site by the afternoon. Library Cards Featuring Children’s Designs Available in January Cati Alvarez, (above) a first-grader at Purl Elementary in Georgetown, was the winner in the grades K-2 category. Tess Dodge, (right) a third-grader at Williams Elementary in Georgetown won in the grades 3-5 cat- egory. Pictured with Williams teachers Regina Manning and Marcie Lindsey. Get in Shape at the Georgetown Recreation Center ments in Austin, Taylor, Round Rock, and Cedar Park have similar trailers in use in their safety educa- tion programs. The Safety House will be used to augment the existing safety program for elementary school children in Georgetown called “Risk Watch.” Research has shown that a hands-on Discover the latest news about the city at www.georgetown.org NEWSbriefs! The Georgetown Fire Department was presented with a $39,653 feder- al grant on December 1 to purchase a Fire Safety and Weather Awareness House. The grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was presented to the City by Sandy Edwards, Central Texas Regional Director for U.S. Senator John Cornyn. Fire Department Receives Grant for Safety House The City will provide a 10 percent match of $4,580 to purchase the Fire Safety and Weather Awareness House, which will serve as a class- room on wheels. The Safety House is a mobile trailer with classroom seating that will allow firefighters to teach people about common risks in the home, fire prevention steps, and fire escape strategies. Fire depart- New Businesses in Georgetown All American Sleep & Mattress 905 N. Church St. Bealls Dept. Store 1103 Rivery Blvd. Cardsmart 105 Wildwood Dr. Comet Cleaners 3308 Williams Dr. Hobby Lobby 901 S. IH-35 Mariachis De Jalisco (Restaurant) 2803 Williams Dr. Mercedez Benz of Georgetown 7401 S. IH-35 Stone Canyon Café 3303 Williams Dr. The Georgetown City Reporter is a publication of the City of Georgetown Public Information Office located in City Hall, 113 E. 8th Street, Georgetown, Texas, 78626. If you have questions or comments, contact Keith Hutchinson, Public Information Officer for the City of Georgetown at (512) 930-3690, or by email at khutchinson@georgetowntx.org. Many home or business owners have a utility easement along one or more sides of their property, but what is an easement, exactly? Who owns an easement? What are the rights and responsibilities of property owners and utility compa- nies with respect to easements? An easement is a portion of land that belongs to the property owner, but is an area where the City or other utility providers have the right to access utility lines in order to make repairs, upgrades, or other improvements. According to the City’s Unified Development Code, an easement is “a dedication by a property owner to the use of land by the public, a corporation, or persons for specific purposes such as the construction and maintenance of utilities, drainage ways and roadways.” If a utility has to dig or work in a public utility easement in order to repair or access a utility line, the utility is only required to backfill and level the area to natural grade. The utility isn’t required to replace structures, concrete or asphalt, trees, shrubs, or flowers that are in an easement, although reasonable efforts are made to reduce the impact of utility work. For this reason, it is best to know where the easements on your prop- erty are located, and either not place trees, shrubs, expensive land- scaping, or a prized rose bush in those areas, or know that utility access may require their removal. Easements: What to know about them During the months of December, January, and February, the City of Georgetown Utility Office averages water consumption on residential accounts in order to calculate the sewer charge for the entire year. Winter months are used because outdoor water use is typically at a minimum in this period. By lower- ing your water use in the winter months, you reduce the base amount that is used to calculate your monthly residential sewer charge, which saves money all year long. This is the only time during the year that your water consumption affects your residential sewer charge. (Sewer charges for commer- cial customers are based on the actual monthly water consumption.) For more information, visit the City of Georgetown web site at www.georgetown.org, or contact the City of Georgetown Utility Office at (512) 930-3640 Conserve Now— Save All Year Long! Sewer service averaging in effect December – February Monday, Jan. 17, Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday City of Georgetown offices closed Regular trash pickup for City of Georgetown TDS customers Front Row:(L to R) City Manager Paul Brandenburg, Sandy Edwards (Central Texas Regional Director for Senator John Cornyn), Fire Chief Anthony Lincoln, and Lt. Carl Boatright Middle Row:Firefighter Matthew Wilson and Lt. Craig Sossner Back Row:Firefighters Gary Traxler and Jonathan Gilliam, Capt. Mike Faught, and Firefighter Michael Vaughn approach to life safety information works best with children. The weather awareness portion of the Safety House will be used to edu- cate senior citizens and others about steps to be taken when violent storms are in the area. “This Fire Safety House is an edu- cational tool that has been on our wish list for many years,” says Georgetown Fire Chief Anthony Lincoln. “We are excited and grate- ful for the opportunity to expand our public education program for all age groups in the community.”