BRANCH BULLETIN: E-News Magazine from Farmers Branch
Memo from the MANAGER
Little women 
   As the father of twin daughters, I can appreciate the sentiment behind City Manager Gary D. Greer staging a Valentine-esque event just for guys like me. Far too quickly, the years roll by with few memories to show for the passage of time except for those that we take the time to make.
   The evening of Saturday, February 4 is one of those times.
   For several years now, the Daddy-Daughter
Greer Girls
The Greer Girls
Dance has been the Farmers Branch standard for observing Valentine's Day and giving our citizensyet another "indoor" opportunity for special events, during the dead of winter. Those tickets are now on sale but they're going to go fast so if you're a Dad or a daughter, I encourage you to contact the Rec Center at your earliest convenience to get in on this wonderful event with the ever-so-Texas theme of "Boots & Bling."
  There will be all kinds of activities going on but the biggest one will be those memories being created by these very special kinds of moments. So, take advantage of these chances when you can.
   Next thing you know, they'll be teachers living in Nebraska.

 

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Click Gary's picture for background and contact info
BreakingNEWS
Welch Road bridge demolition to cause major LBJ traffic issues this weekend
 
FARMERS BRANCH ~ Swinging the reconstruction work on the LBJ project into full swing, demolition of the Welch Road bridge over Interstate 635 is set for this weekend. 
LBJ Express
   According to LBJ Express, the construction group responsible for the project, the demolition schedule calls for the main lanes on LBJ to be closed Friday night at 10 p.m. and reopen Monday morning, no later than 5 a.m.
   Construction of a new Welch bridge is expected to take five months. LBJ Express officials have briefed businesses in the area in the months leading up to this closure. For more information on any component of the LBJ Express project, visit www.lbjexpress.com. 
 
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FeaturedSTORIES
Advance ticket deadline coming up for Daddy-Daughter DanceFARMERS BRANCH ~ "Boots & Bling" will be the order of the evening at the 2012 "Daddy-Daughter Dance" coming up on Saturday, February 4 at the Farmers Branch Community Recreation Center.
Daddy Daughter.2

   For more information, call 972.247.4607.    Rapidly becoming a winter favorite, the annual event is set from 6 to 8 p.m. There will be a live DJ, dancing, close-up magic and other entertainment, face painting and photo buttons. Even the table centerpieces will be given away towards the end of the evening. Cookies, punch and coffee will be served.

   Alex Ruiz said he's never missed taking his daughter to the annual extravaganza.

   "This year, she started asking about it in November and can't wait to go shopping for her dress and boots and the pre-dance pampering at the nail salon," he said. "It's a good night that she and I will both remember."

   The Rec Center's Maria Minter said there will be some extra bling in the room this year. "The 2012 Daddy-Daughter Dance will really sparkle," she said. "We've will have 3,200 mock one-carat diamonds to use as table confetti that will add some flash to our bling."

   Advance tickets are now on sale at $5 per person at the Community Recreation Center. After February 2 or at the door, tickets will be $10. To ensure the entertainment experience for ticket-holding participants, additional family members will not be admitted.


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Historical Park moves annual cemetery tours to March Encounters with the Past set for March 2012

FARMERS BRANCH ~ Highlighting the history of Farmers Branch through interpretive re-enactors, the Farmers Branch Historical Park's annual tours of the Keenan Cemetery have moved from October to March.
   Set for March 23-24 & 30-31, the guided tours of the oldest cemetery in Dallas County trace the history of Farmers Branch through the "recollections" of costumed re-enactors representing the area's pioneers at their respective places of rest.
   Tickets will be on sale soon. Call the Farmers Branch Historical Park for more information at 972.406.0184.

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Landscaping class to feature classic rose collections

 

FARMERS BRANCH ~ Classic rose collections will be the focus of the next in a series of landscaping classes, set for Tuesday, January 31 at 7 p.m. at the Farmers Branch Community Recreation Center.

   Claude Graves, President of the Dallas Area Historical Rose Society, will be the featured speaker in this third class of the "Landscaping with Roses in 2012" series. 

   The City of Farmers Branch, along with the Dallas Area Historical Rose Society and the Dallas Rose Society, is co-sponsoring this series of six classes in January and February. Classes are held at 7 p.m. each scheduled evening at the Farmers Branch Community Recreation Center, unless otherwise noted. Remaining sessions include: 

  • February 7 - Peter Schaar will teach participants "How to Prune Roses" as preparation for a Rose Pruning Clinic, to be held at Gussie Field Watterworth Park on Saturday, February 11 at 10 a.m.
  • February 28 - The class will again join the Dallas Area Historical Rose Society meeting where Mark Chamblee, owner of Chamblee's Roses in Tyler, will present "Roses Bred for Toughness - Buck Roses and Kordes Roses." This session will begin at 6:30 p.m.

   Attendance is free but registration is requested at 972.247.4607. Additionally, rose plants will be available for $10 each. For more information, call 972.919.2625. 

 

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Love the Branch

CityStaff Snapshot

STAFFName:  Matt BenoitMatt Benoit

Position: Assistant City Manager

Years with the City: 2 yrs 

Background: I was born in Denver, Co. Received my degree from Bethany College where I majored in History and Political Science and my Masters in Public Administration from Kansas State University. While attending college I played basketball and football. I am married with two kids. My wife, Micki,  is a Speech Pathologist who is employed by a Farmers Branch business, and my children, Madie and Garrett, attend school here in Farmers Branch. In my free time I enjoy hanging out with the family and am currently training for a triathlon in June.

What Do You Like Most About Working for the City of Farmers Branch? I love working for a City where the expectation is to improve the quality of life of our citizens. As a staff, we all benefit from the leadership provided by our Mayor and City Council. The City Manager and all of the Senior Staff are very lucky to have great employees who understand this mission and strive to apply it in everything we do. It is such pleasure to work in an environment where the benefit of our citizens is our singular focus. I happen to think we are very good at it too, so that makes working for the City that much more fun!

 

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Water: Use What You Need, Save the Rest
PartingSHOT
PARTINGSHOTWhite Water
White Water
Water from a swollen Rawhide Creek rushes out from under the Valley View Lane bridge, behind an obvious warning sign, following heavy rainfall Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
Farmers Branch Staff Photo by Tom Bryson
ThisWEEK
January 25, 2012
Welch Bridge Demolition
Daddy-Daughter Tickets
Cemetery Tours
Rose Classes
New Fire Station No. 1
Garbage Bags
Local Authors
BranchBRIEFS
New Fire Station No. 1Fire Department plans move to new station 

FARMERS BRANCH ~ With construction on new Farmers Branch Fire Station No. 1 nearly complete, Fire Chief Steve 
Parker reports his department will be ready for move-in on February 15. 
   Grand opening ceremonies for the newest City facility is set for Saturday, March 3 at 10 a.m. at Fire Station No. 1, just south of the Manske Library near the corner of Webb Chapel and Golfing Green.
   Voters approved $5.5 million for the new station in a 2009 bond issue, to replace old Station No. 1 on Valley View that is now more than 50 years old and undersized for contemporary firefighting operations.   

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REGULAR FEATURES
Garbage Bag delivery to be completed in February

FARMERS BRANCH ~ Annual delivery of two bundles of 42 garbage bags to residences in Farmers Branch is expected to be complete in the next few weeks. 
   The 84 bags will be delivered to each home during the period with delivery expected to finish by the end of February, weather permitting. 
   Call 972.919.2597 for more information. 

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TOOLS
Local authors to gather for book signing event

FARMERS BRANCH ~ Local authors Mel Barney and Tom Nollette will be on hand with their recently published works for a book launch and signing event on Satuday, Februrary 11 from 2 until 3:30 p.m. in the art gallery at the Farmers Branch Manske Library. 

   Other published members of the Farmers Branch Writers Organization will also be present, including Jeanne Ann Macejko and Binion Amerson. 

   For more information, call 972.247.2511.

 

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BannerLittle Women
Friends pose for a picture at the winter highlight of the month of February - the annual Daddy-Daughter Dance at the Farmers Branch Community Recreation Center. This year's event is coming up on February 4 with tickets now on sale.  Staff Photo
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LBJExpressLBJ Express is the name given to the five-year project that will renovate and expand capacity for Interstate 635, the LBJ freeway, from Central Expressway to Stemmons Freeway through parts of Dallas and Farmers Branch. Begun in 2011, the project team updates its status, and lane closure information weekly, including weekend bridge construction that could have serious traffic impacts. 
For More, Click Here

LBJ Express

www.lbjexpress.com

 

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 recipient of the 2011
TAMI Award
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E-Newsletter in Texas, bestowed by the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers
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About the City of Farmers Branch

Located on the northwest border of the City of Dallas, Farmers Branch is a vibrant and vital community with a residential population of 28,800 but a daytime population of 66,000. The City's 28 parks and lush greenbelts feature nationally-acclaimed, award-winning soccer fields, football facilities as well as baseball and softball complexes. The Farmers Branch Historical Park allows residents to step back in time and the John F. Burke Nature Preserve offers the opportunity to experience a real, 104-acre wilderness in the middle of one of the busiest metro areas of the world. The City's location in the geographical center of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, only 15 minutes away from both DFW International Airport and Dallas Love Field, make Farmers Branch an ideal location for residents and for business. For more information about Farmers Branch, visit www.farmersbranch.info or call 972.919.2515.Unsub