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HomeMy WebLinkAboutReporter Aug 08© City of Georgetown, 2008 VOL. 6 • NO. 8 A Publication of the City of Georgetown AUGUST 2008 online at www.thisoldhouse.com. Factors in choosing “the best of the best” included “architectural diversity, the craftsmanship of the homes, and the preservation momentum in the area,” as well as walkability, services, and the overall community. Beyond our beautiful historic houses, the magazine pointed to something less tangible, but no less important: “What we found is that people who live in his- toric places aren’t just lovers of golden-age architecture, but of old-fashioned neighborhood val- ues as well.” Georgetown in top ten Best Places to Buy an Old House The editors of This Old House magazine picked Georgetown for their list of the 12 Best Places to Buy an Old House in the U.S. in the July/August issue. Georgetown was number 10 on the list, which is available College Street Bridge A new bridge over the San Gabriel River on the north end of College Street is set to begin construction later this year. The Texas Department of Transportation is providing approximately $5 million in funding, and the City of Georgetown has provided approximately $500,000 in matching and engineering funds. The new bridge will be downstream from the low-water crossing on Morrow Street in San Gabriel Park. Once the new bridge is complete, the old low-water crossing will become part of the City’s hike and bike trail system. TXDOT rendering of the new College Street Bridge to be built in San Gabriel Park. The new website for the Georgetown Public Library was named the best in Texas for cities under 75,000 population. The award from the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers was announced in June. The new library website went live earlier this year and features a teen blog, slide shows, photo galleries, hot reads listings, meeting room calendars, e-book downloads, and an online catalog for searching, holding, or renewing a book or other item. Check it out atlibrary.georgetown.org! Library Website Named the Best in Texas The library website was created by (pictured) Rachael Pattillo, Richard Groves, Billy Cryer, Bethni King, Gretchen Pruett, and Eric Lashley with the public library as well as (not pictured) Judy Fabry and Suzette Davidson with the library and Erin McDonald, the City’s webmaster. Discover the latest news about the city at www.georgetown.org Keeping a dog chained to a stake will no longer be allowed in Georgetown. An ordinance approved in June goes into effect December 24, providing six months for dog owners to build fencing in order to comply with the ordinance. Other Texas cities that have enacted dog chaining bans include Austin, Bastrop, Fort Worth, and Irving. The Georgetown ban applies not only to dogs tied by a chain or other tether, but also to trolley restraints. A trolley is a dog tether connected by a pulley to an overhead wire, such as a clothesline. The tethering ban does allow for the use of leashes and of temporary restraints, as long as the dog’s owner remains with the dog. The new rule requires dogs kept in a yard to be unrestrained by a chain or tether and to have a pen at least 150 square-feet in size. “A 10-foot by 15-foot area is still pretty small, so we would hope that dogs have more room that this,” says Ken Finn, animal services manager for the City. One of the primary reasons to prohibit dog chaining is that chained dogs are more likely to hurt people. According to the Downtown Happenings The Palace Theater Nunsense, weekends: Aug. 1-31 Details at www.TheGeorgetownPalace.org, or call (512) 869-7469. Farmers Markets Fourth St. and Austin Ave. every Thursday, 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Sun City Activity Center, 2 Texas Drive every Tuesday, 10 a.m. until noon First Friday, August 2Downtown shops, galleries, andrestaurants open 6 – 8 p.m. Market Days, August 9Handmade arts & crafts, jewelry,woodcrafts, ironworks, AnimalShelter adoptions, food, andmore, on the streets around theSquare, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Good Neighbor Fund helps families facing an unexpected financial hardship like a big medical bill or job layoff. The fund pays up to one-half of a customer’s utility bill. The other half is paid by the customer or a local nonprofit, which is typically The Caring Place, a local assis- tance program. Electricity costs for City of Georgetown customers have increased due to rising costs for wholesale power. A 1-cent per kilowatt-hour increase by the Lower Colorado River Authority in June led to an increase for City of Georgetown electric rates from 10.46 cents to 11.46 cents per kwh. The rate was effective for energy consumed after June 24. The increase is a pass-through of wholesale cost. LCRA supplies 90 percent of the electricity for City of Georgetown electric customers. The City does not own or operate power-generating plants. Natural Gas Cost Affects Electric Rate The reason for the increase is a jump in natural gas cost in the last six months from about $8 per million British thermal units to $12. Three of LCRA’s four electric generating plants are powered by natural gas. LCRA also generates power from a coal- fired plant, six hydroelectric dams, and three wind power facilities. While the average electric customer will see an increase of about $10 on an average monthly bill, rates continue to be competitive with other electric providers in the area. Customer cost per kilowatt-hour: TXU Energy 15.9 cents Texpo Energy 15.9 cents YEP Energy 14.6 cents Star Tex Power 14.5 cents City of Georgetown 11.5A cents Pedernales Electric Cooperative 10.6B cents A $12.06 for first 1,000 kwh, including $6 monthly service charge B $12.62 for first 1,000 kwh, including $20 monthly service charge (Sources: powertochoose.com, Pedernales Electric Cooperative, City of Georgetown) (fixed rates as of June 27, 2008) The rising cost of natural gas may lead to another LCRA power cost increase later this year. However, the City of Georgetown will work to minimize the impact to its customers through wholesale power pur- chases from CPS Energy in San Antonio, and through its relationship with LCRA. Each year, the need for utility bill assistance at The Caring Place far exceeds the available matching donations. Higher energy costs are putting a strain on tight budgets, and the need is especially critical in the hot summer months. A one dollar donation on your utility bill can make a big differ- ence to a local family in need. The Georgetown City Reporter is a publication of the City of Georgetown Public InformationOffice located in City Hall, 113 E. Eighth Street, Georgetown, Texas, 78626. For questions or comments, contact KeithHutchinson, Public Information Officer for the City of Georgetown at (512) 930-3690, or by email at pio@georgetowntx.org. Humane Society of the U.S., “A chained dog, unable to take flight, often feels forced to fight, attacking any unfamiliar animal or person who unwittingly wan- ders into his or her territory.” The ordinance also prohibits wrapping a chain or tether around a dog’s neck, or using a chain or tether that weighs more than five percent of the dog’s body weight. For details, contact Georgetown Animal Services at (512) 930-3592 or by email at animalsvc@georgetowntx.org. Dog Chaining Prohibited Give to the Good Neighbor Fund