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Hope in West
In the end, there will undoubtedly be many lessons learned from the disaster in West two weeks ago.
While the property damage is stunning and the loss of life is heartbreaking, there are points of pride and sources of hope.
 Last week, our own Jim Olk, in his capacity as a state-certified disaster inspector, spent three days as part of a combined state and federal response that is working diligently to help return normalcy to that small Texas town. The reassuring sight is the rallying of both public and private organizations that rushed into central Texas as fast as they could to be sure their fellow Texans have relief and comfort while dealing with the unimaginable. Not only have cities, like ours, sent resources but tens of thousands of private dollars have been raised from our friends and neighbors, in churches, services clubs and other organizations, who couldn't be there to help in person but wanted to assist. Our hearts truly go out to the families of the first responders and innocent, unknowing residents who lost their lives that night. But, from what Jim has told us and shown us in photos, the magnitude of loss could have been so much greater. With large chunks of concrete from the foundation of the fertilizer plant, along with lengths of pipe and pieces of the building propelled blocks across streets, homes and the adjacent school, it is truly remarkable that more people weren't killed. One thing that has emerged from the tragedy as an undisputed beacon of resilience is the spirit and determination of the people of West to pick up, rebuild and move ahead. For that, and so much more, they have our sympathy for their loss, our support for their recovery and our best hopes going forward.
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Boy Scout Troop 734 assisted firefighters Saturday.
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Fire Department teams with scouts and wrestlers to 'alarm' neighborhood
FARMERS BRANCH ~ With the goal of saving lives and protecting property, the Farmers Branch Fire Department has partnered with the Insurance Council of Texas, First Alert, Travelers Insurance Company and the Texas Fire Marshal's Office to provide dual sensor smoke alarms in the homes of seniors and those otherwise unable to afford them.
Boy Scout Troop 734, along with the help of the R.L. Turner High School Wrestling Team, joined Farmers Branch Firefighters on Saturday to install free smoke alarms in the neighborhood, generally southwest of the intersection of Josey and Valwood Parkways.
 Tim Dedear |
Firefighters, with the assistance of their volunteers, installed a total of 76 alarms on Saturday, or an average of about three per house in the participating 24 homes.
Deputy Fire Chief Tim Dedear said the houses they visited averaged less than two smoke alarms per house. Of 31 existing alarms tested, 13 units did not work due to age or battery issues and 18 alarms of the 31 tested were more than 10 years old.
"Farmers Branch has been among 10 other cities in Texas that has participated in the 'alarm' program since its inception in 2006," Chief Dedear said. "Not only are these houses now safer, we hope the program also promotes the importance of regular maintenance of smoke alarms."
For more information on the smoke alarm program or on fire prevention tips, call 972.919.2640.
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The R.L. Turner High School Wrestling Team joined firefighters for the project.
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Fishin' Fun mixes catfish with kayaks, Saturday morning
FARMERS BRANCH ~ Ever expanding the range of offering fun, with
fish, the 2013 edition of Fishin' Fun in Farmers Branch will feature
kayaking and kayak fishing as part of this year's event, set for Saturday,
May 4 around Rawhide Creek at Gussie Field Watterworth Park, near
City Hall.
 The traditional fishing event, open to kids ages 16 and under,
will begin with registration
starting at 7 a.m. that morning.
The tournament goes from 8 until 10 a.m. with kids looking for the biggest of the one ton of farm-
raised catfish that have been
stocked in the creek. The awards ceremony will follow.
Additionally, the Kids Zone, featuring games for younger kids, will be
open from 8 a.m. until 12 noon.
Kayak fishing will be held from 9 a.m. until 12 noon with onsite
reservations available for specific time slots. General kayaking will be
available throughout the morning. As always, registration for Fishin' Fun
is free and loaner fishing equipment is available at no charge. For more
info, call 972.919.1444.
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Jim Olk calls damage in West extensive after inspections
WEST, TX ~ Calling it an "impact that will be felt for decades," Farmers Branch Community Services Director Jim Olk returned last week from three days of work as a state-certified disaster inspector in the central Texas town of West.
Two weeks ago, a fire caused a fertilizer holding facility to explode, destroying or heavily damaging most homes and buildings near the site, injuring scores of people and killing 15.
Mr. Olk and colleagues from the Building Officials Association of Texas had been asked to assist state and
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Jim Olk
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federal officials in determining the extent of damage to structures within the blast radius. "We were anxious to get to work with two teams of inspectors geared up to perform rapid evaluation safety assessment of the buildings in the neighborhood west of the plant," he explained. "As we worked our way closer to the explosion (site) we noted more severe damage.
"Buildings were in different stages of collapse and some were dangerous to enter."
Mr. Olk said his team inspected more than 160 structures the first day with almost half of them deemed a total loss.
Although they were tasked with moving from building to building to determine safety conditions, he couldn't help but be moved by the families attempting to pull their lives together.
"Our focus was on the structure, I noticed that I would stop and pick up or move a family picture that had been blown off the wall so it wouldn't get stepped on," he said. "It was my way of keeping perspective that there were hundreds of lives impacted by what went on."
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Library undergoing indoor upgrades  MANSKE LIBRARY ~ Substantial indoor upgrades are coming to the Farmers Branch Manske Library and will result in some temporary construction activity May 1-3.
In order to better serve the public, a new service desk, and new computer work stations are being installed. Patrons should be aware that some areas will be blocked off to the public while the upgrades occur. However, the work should not hinder use of the upstairs computers.
Phase one of construction should wrap up by Friday, May 3. During this time the Library will continue to be open and function during normal hours.
For more information call the Library at 972.247.2511.
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National Adoption Weekend planned May 3-5
FARMERS BRANCH ~ The Farmers Branch Animal Adoption Center will be participating in National Adoption Weekend Friday from 9 a.m. til 9 p.m. and Saturday & Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the PetSmart location in Addison.
The retailer will donate $35 in adoption reward grants to the Farmers Branch Animal Adoption Center for every pet adopted during the weekend event. For more information, call 972.919.8770.
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West Nile prevention urged as weather warms
FARMERS BRANCH ~ Hoping to avoid another serious season of West Nile virus, Farmers Branch Environmental Health officials have posted an informational diagram on the City's website that can help local residents eliminate mosquito breeding areas before they become a problem. Find out more at www.farmersbranch.info.
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Best Fishes
The banks of Rawhide Creek will be full of kids, ages 16 and under, taking part in an annual Farmers Branch rite of Spring as Fishin' Fun returns on Saturday, May 4. Some kids may even be taller than their fish.
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Volume 3 | Edition 18 | Number 114 
is published weekly by the Communications Office
of the City of Farmers Branch, TX.
Two-time TAMI Award Winner for Best eNewsletter in Texas
Given by the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers
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Look for Updates & Reminders on Friday in
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Early voting for Council election now underway, thru May 7
FARMERS BRANCH ~ With City Council election day coming up May 11, early voting is now underway at Dallas County polling locations, including Farmers Branch City Hall, through May 7.
Early voting will be conducted from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. through Saturday, May 4; from 1 until 6 p.m. on Sunday, May 5; and from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, May 6 & 7.
>> MORE
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Liberty Fest singing contest audition deadline extended
FARMERS BRANCH ~ In an effort to give all aspiring vocalists an
 opportunity to try out, the audition deadline for the 2013 Liberty Fest "God Bless America" singing contest has been extended to Monday, May 6 at 12 noon. All singers should video record themselves singing the first verse of "God Bless America" and email the clip, or a link, to fbinfo@farmersbranch.info by that deadline. >> MORE
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CityWide CleanUp nets record haul
ORAN GOOD PARK ~ The results of the sixth annual Farmers Branch CityWide CleanUp event provide an interesting mirror to the fleeting nature of 21st century technology. The electronics recycling station continued to take in components that had been updated by newer models in large numbers. A total of 16,650 pounds of material dropped off exceeds last year's record total of 14,361. Included in this year's totals: - 43 TVs
- 65 CRT computer monitors
- 114 computer towers
- 31 laptops
- 20 flat-panel monitors
Document destruction was also a big hit with the shredding truck maxing out its capacity at more than 9,100 pounds of shredded paper. Find out more about the Dallas County Home Chemical Collection Center, collecting household hazardous waste year-round.
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Firehouse Theatre sets Shakespeare Under the Stars Thursday-Sunday
MANSKE LIBRARY ~ The Firehouse Theatre will present the most famous love story of all time, William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, at the Farmers Branch Manske Library's outdoor amphitheater, May 2-5 at 7:30 p.m. each evening.
Romeo and Juliet is directed by John Wilkerson, fight choreography by Jason Leyva and choreography by Amy Cave, all from The Firehouse Theatre.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit
www.thefirehousetheatre.com. Adult tickets are $14 with $12 for seniors and students. It is suggested that the audience bring lawn chairs or blankets.
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Pictorial history book advance order deadline is May 31
HISTORICAL PARK ~ Advance orders are now being taken for a limited edition pictorial history book of Farmers Branch, set for publication later this year. The Farmers Branch Historical Park says the volume will be full color with expanded history and an index that will provide a great historical reference of the City. >> MORE >> PRESALE ORDER FORM
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 Hundreds of anxious anglers are expected to jam the shores of Rawhide Creek in Gussie Field Watterworth Park this weekend for the annual Fishin' Fun event.
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Click on the video or print links to download different media for the Farmers Branch Office of Economic Development and Tourism Year End Report
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| FARMERS BRANCH ~ The weekly update on the Interstate 635 expansion project has been made available by LBJ Express, the construction team responsible for the five-year project that will completely renovate the freeway from the Dallas North Tollway to Interstate 35E. This update is for
Wednesday, May 1, 2013.
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LBJ Express Finished Project Animation
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Westbound LBJ, Midway Road, and Marsh Lane will all be closed
for major bridge construction work during night-time hours of the weekends of May 10-12 and May 17-19. Closure hours may vary due to the pace of work but will be confined to 8pm and noon on Friday/Saturday night-Saturday/Sunday morning and 8pm and 6am on Sunday night-Monday mornings. SB Midway and Marsh will be detoured on Valley View to Webb Chapel. All westbound LBJ traffic will be detoured along the westbound frontage road from the Midway exit to the Marsh entrance ramp.
Valley View (at IH35E): The IH35E northbound frontage road left lane will remain closed at Valley View through June. In addition, there will be various lane closures along Valley View between the IH35E frontage roads for several weeks to facilitate construction of a new IH35E northbound entrance ramp over Valley View. Bridge demolition scheduled for the night of May 1 has been cancelled because the work was completed on April 30.
IH 635/IH35E Interchange: Several major closures are being planned for May. The ramp from LBJ eastbound to IH35E southbound will be closed on the night of April 29. The ramp from IH35E southbound to LBJ eastbound will be closed on the night of May 10. Eastbound LBJ will be closed at IH35E on the night of May 11. Westbound LBJ and Southbound IH35E as well as the ramp from LBJ eastbound to IH35E northbound will be closed on the night of May 25.
Denton Drive: The westbound LBJ frontage road between Josey and Denton will be closed on the nights of May 2 and 3 and various additional nights through June for bridge construction.
Josey Lane: Construction of the permanent paving and drainage on Josey will require various lanes closed through Mid-May. Josey will be closed for bridge beam installation on the nights of June 10 through 14.
Webb Chapel: Webb Chapel will be closed on the nights of May 15 and 24. Various lanes of Webb Chapel will be closed for paving following completion of work at Marsh. The expected duration of the paving work is May 20-July 10.
Marsh Lane: The pavement and bridge work on Marsh south of Ridgeoak will continue through early May when all through lanes should be reopened. The westbound LBJ exit to Marsh was closed on April 26 for an indefinite period. To reach Marsh Lane, traffic should exit at Midway and use the new frontage road between Midway and Marsh that opened on April 26.
Rosser: Expect intermittent one-lane operation of traffic across the Rosser bridge May 6-20 for installation of the ornamental pedestrian fence.
Midway Road: The southbound left turn lane on Midway Road between the LBJ frontage roads and the westbound to eastbound U-turn lane will remain closed indefinitely. Expect various lanes to be closed on Midway at LBJ during off-peak hours. The right southbound lane of Midway south of LBJ is closed until May 18 for drainage installation. The eastbound frontage road east of Midway will be closed during off-peak hours daily through June. Midway will be closed on the night of May 4 for bridge construction.
Welch Road: Welch is narrowed to one lane in each direction at LBJ for through mid-May for drainage work.
Other Locations: Various main lanes of LBJ will be closed frequently during night-time hours. There will also be intermittent night-time closures of various LBJ entrance and exit ramps. All scheduled work is tentative as permitted by weather conditions and other factors.
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About the City of Farmers Branch
 An historic community in the geographic center of the DFW Metroplex, Farmers Branch boasts a residential population of 28,800 and a daytime employment population of 66,000. Located on the northwest border of the City of Dallas, the City's 27 parks and lush greenbelts feature nationally-acclaimed, award-winning soccer fields, football facilities as well as baseball and softball complexes. The city's location in the center of the Metroplex and only 15 minutes away from both DFW Airport and Love Field, along with the 2,200 hotel rooms within the city, make Farmers Branch an ideal location for residents and for business. For more information on the City of Farmers Branch, visit farmersbranch.info, visitfarmersbranch.com, lovethebranch.com
or call 972.247.3131. |
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