Memo from the Manager 

Large Logos for Traveling Trains

   Sometimes good ideas collide.

   Such was the case last year when DART's Green Line rail system was nearing completion at the same time that our ground water storage tank on the railroad right-of-way at Wicker was in need of a new paint job.

   About that time, it was suggested to me that from a marketing standpoint, that is not a water tank.

   It is a billboard.

   Every day, thousands of people would be passing that otherwise non-descript water tank while traveling north out of Farmers Branch, when they could be treated to a grand sight of the largest incarnation of the City logo ever attempted.

   Well, you can't pass up an opportunity like that.

   As a result, today, the Wicker Ground Storage Tank boasts two, identical, 45-feet high, "Farmers Branch, City in a Park" logos, complete with web address travelers can find out the advantages of living in Farmers Branch, rather than taking the train to and from.

   We have been asked why the two logos are so close to each other and not on opposite sides of the tank to catch both north and southbound train travelers. The simple answer has to do with sightlines. One logo is clearly visible to northbound train passengers on the south side of the tank. However, the north side of the tank is partially blocked from view by a tree that would have made viewing from a moving train a challenging process at best. As a result, the second logo faces west, managing to be briefly seen by southbound DART patrons, but also clearly visible to motorists on Stemmons Freeway.

   So if we ever decide to put a third logo on top of the tank, we'll have the vantage points covered for ... planes, trains and automobiles.

E-mail Gary

Wilkinson

FARMERS BRANCH ~ Sharing stories of survival and triumph from her book, "Untold: The New Orleans 9th Ward You Never Knew," author Lynette Norris

Wilkinson will speak in a special engagement at the Farmers Branch Manske Library Saturday, July 16 at 3:30 p.m.

   A New Orleans Lower 9th Ward native, Ms. Wilkinson has lived and worked in Dallas for years and found 16 family members and friends on her doorstep in August of 2005 when Hurricane Katrina forced them from New Orleans. The author said she decided to tell their story as a means of sharing the true experience of growing up in New Orleans and as a way to give back. All proceeds from her book go to benefit organizations working to rebuild New Orleans and the Lower 9th Ward.

   "Untold" has been named a finalist in the 2011 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

   Call the Manske Library at 972.247.2511 for more information.

Video    Extra

Author Lynette Wilkinson

BRANCHbriefs

New Fire Station construction preps for foundation work

FARMERS BRANCH~ With June's demolition of the site's existing buildings, construction crews have set about the task of completing underground utility work in advance of setting the foundation.

   The new Fire Station No. 1 is located at 13601 Webb Chapel, just south of the Manske Library. The 12,000 square-foot facility will replace the 50-year-old existing station on Valley View that is now undersized for contemporary firefighting operations.

   According to Fire Chief Steve Parker, work scheduled for July includes median enhancements on Webb Chapel for the new station, establishing permanent power to the building, pouring front and rear driveways and drilling piers for the structural slab which should be in place in the next few months.

City Council to hold only regular meeting for July

FARMERS BRANCH~ Moving to the traditional summer schedule, the Farmers Branch City Council will meet in regular session one time in July, on Tuesday, July 19. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at Farmers Branch City Hall, 13000 William Dodson Parkway. Agenda information may be found at City Hall, the Farmers Branch Manske Library and Justice Center as well as online at www.farmersbranch.info, following the agenda's publication the Friday before each regular meeting.

New Library director on the job

FARMERS BRANCH~ Bringing with her 22 years of Library experience from the Grand Prairie ISD, Belinda Jacks has begun her new job as director of the Farmers Branch Manske Library, according to LSSI, the management firm that operates the facility. During her tenure at Grand Prairie ISD, Ms. Jacks was responsible for updating 75 percent of the Library collections, moving from old card catalogs to a technology-based system, and a high circulation rate of nearly one million items per year. She began at the Manske Library July 13.

Snap Poll Results: Fave Founders

CYBERSPACE ~ Through a valiant competition it seems that the first and third U.S. presidents, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, have finished in a dead heat with 35 percent of the vote each in the Citywide Snap Poll for "Favorite Founding Father," in honor of the recent Fourth of July Holiday. The venerable Benjamin Franklin, although appearing on a higher denomination of money, finished a distant third at 17 percent with the ever-underrated John Adams, whose image does not appear on money, bring up the rear at 12 percent.

A new Snap Poll returns next week.

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All meetings & events subject to change. Call 972.247.3131