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HomeMy WebLinkAboutReporter August 2010© City of Georgetown, 2010 VOL. 8 • NO. 8 A Publication of the City of Georgetown August 2010 Farmers Markets Sun City Market,Tuesdays 9 a.m. to Noon, 2 Texas Drive in Social Center parking lot. Georgetown Market,Thursdays 3:30 - 6:30 p.m. in San Gabriel Park, on E. Morrow Street (across from Bob’s Catfish). Movie in the Park,August 5 Free showing of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs in San Gabriel Park near the gazebo starting at about 8:45 p.m. The Palace Theater The Wedding Singer, Aug 6 – Sept 5 Details at GeorgetownPalace.com, or call (512) 869-7469. First Friday, August 6 Downtown live music and street dance, shops, galleries, and restaurants are open late. See the Downtown Georgetown Association website at TheGeorgetownSquare.com. Market Days, August 14 "Stay-cation" ideas for the last remaining days of summer. Handmade arts and crafts, food, and more on the Square from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Details at TheGeorgetownSquare.com. August Events Additional drinking water sampling information is being provided as a supplement to the Water Quality Report for 2009, which was mailed to all water utility customers in June. The reporting of atrazine levels in a water sample in 2009 was not included in the report, but is listed in the table below. Note that the atrazine levels did not exceed the standard. Unregulated Contaminants Unregulated contaminants are those for which the Environmental Protection Agency has not estab- Water Quality Report for 2009 –Addendum lished drinking water standards. The purpose of unregulated contaminant monitoring is to assist EPA in deter- mining the occurrence of these con- taminants in drinking water and the potential need for future regulation. Perchlorate, which is an unregulated contaminant, was reported as “not detectable” from a sample collected in 2009. However, the sample date should have been reported as 2006. No sampling was required in 2009. If you have further questions about this report or Georgetown's drinking water quality, please call (512) 930-3640. AquaMessenger, a new service from the City of Georgetown that sends AquaAlert emails to customers at pre-set water use levels, won the Innovation in Customer Service Award on May 27 at the CS Week convention in Nashville. The annual event includes utility and billing professionals from across the country. AquaMessenger was launched system-wide this year after a three-month pilot in 2008 including 205 households. The pilot project showed that customers who received usage feedback at pre-set levels used 9 percent less water than customers who received no feedback. Based on the reduced peak demand on the City’s water production system over time, AquaMessenger will save a projected $161,000 per year in lower capital costs. As an information resource to the AquaMessenger email system, a water conservation specialist is available to customers to help them re-set irrigation controllers, conduct an irrigation system assessment, and provide information about other ways to conserve water. AquaAlerts are a free service from Georgetown Utility Systems. Customers may choose up to three AquaAlert levels. For example, a customer could receive AquaAlerts when monthly usage reaches 10,000 gallons, 15,000 gallons, and 19,000 gallons. AquaAlerts may not be avail- able to all customers. Sign up for AquaAlerts online at water.georgetown.org or call the Utility Billing Office at (512) 930-3640. AquaMessenger Wins National Customer Service Award Receiving the award at the conference are (left to right) Steve Bell with Electsolve, a firm that assisted with the project, and from the City of Georgetown: Glenn Dishong, Micki Rundell, Mike Peters, Kathy Ragsdale, and Leticia Zavala. Organic Contaminants Year or Contaminant Ave. Min.Max.MCL MCLG Unit of range level level level measure 2005 to atrazine 0.01 0 0.13 3 3 ppb 2009 Contaminant source is runoff from herbicide used on crops Mark your calendar! Sept. 25:Georgetown AirFest Georgetown Municipal Airport Oct. 5:National Night Out Support a safe community Aug. 23:Outdoor Pools Close for summer season Discover the latest news about the city at www.georgetown.org Officer Erik Grasse with the Georgetown Police Department was given the Achievement Award for Valor at the Texas State Capitol in June. The honor for Grasse was presented at the State of Texas Law Enforcement Achievement Awards ceremony by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education. The award is in recognition of Grasse’s actions in March 2009 when he rescued a 73-year-old Officer Erik Grasse Receives Valor Award woman from her submerged vehicle, saving her life. Grasse dove into the submerged vehicle, unbuckled the woman from her seat, pulled her out, and got her to the bank of the pond. She was treated and released at the scene. Grasse was one of 14 officers from the state of Texas who received an award for acts of valor in 2009. TCLEOSE is the state professional licensing agency for law enforcement officers in Texas. City Budget Hearings City council discussions and public hearings for the City of Georgetown 2010/2011 budget and tax rate are scheduled for August 10, 17, 24 (dates are tentative and subject to change). The upcoming fiscal year starts on October 1, 2010. City council budget and tax rate hearings will be held at the Council Chamber and Courts Building, 101 E. Seventh Street. Go to www.georgetown.org for information on the budget process in July and August and details on budget and tax rate hearings. Give to the Good Neighbor Fund A donation to the Good Neighbor Fund—$1 on your month- ly utility bill—helps a family who is having trouble paying utility bills due to medical expenses, job loss, or other unex- pected crisis. Every month, people come to The Caring Place, a nonprofit organization in Georgetown, for financial help in paying a utility bill. According to John Stock, executive director of The Caring Place, the nonprofit has provided more than $70,000 in utilities assistance so far in 2010. The Caring Place uses revenue from sources like their thrift store to provide utility assistance, but your donations to The Good Neighbor Fund help. If every Georgetown utility customer donated $1 each month, The Caring Place could direct more of its own revenue to food and rent assistance to families in need. Give to the Good Neighbor Fund. Your donation makes a difference. Rec Center Room for Parties The event room at the Georgetown Recreation Center is a great place to host a birthday party for a youth or teen. The room rental fee is $125 for Recreation Center members, $150 for Georgetown residents, and $175 for nonresidents. A two-hour rental includes pool admission. There is a 20-person maximum occupancy for the event room. For more information, please call (512) 930-3596. 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.The Art for Animals live and silent art auction to benefit the Georgetown Animal Shelter will be held on October 24. To donate The Red Poppy Festival planning committee is seeking submissions of artwork for consideration for the 2011 Red Poppy Festival poster. Artwork must be original and depict some facet of the Red Poppy Festival. The entry dead- line is October 30, 2010. Contact Cari Miller with the Convention and Visitors Bureau at (512) 930-3585 or cari.miller@georgetown.org. Call to Artists: Red Poppy Festival works of art for the auction, contact Jackie Carey at (512) 930-3592 or jackie.carey@georgetown.org. Art for Animals The Georgetown Animal Shelter is seek- ing foster homes for kittens. A foster fam- ily provides a home for a kitten or group of kittens until they are old enough to be adopted, which is typically about two to three months. The shelter will supply kitten food and other supplies for foster families. Also, the shelter has reduced the adoption fee for adult cats to $25. Good homes are needed for adult cats and kittens. Contact the shelter at (512) 930-3592 or animalsvc@georgetown.org. Kittens Need Foster Homes