City of Burleson, Texas

July 5, 2013

Welcome to the free City of Burleson weekly E-Newsletter! There are more than 1,180 subscribers! Click here for archived issues. If you have questions or suggestions about City programs, services and events, call the public information office at 817-426-9622.

Army sergeant had plans to surprise his wife, children when he returned

Thirty-year-old William R. Moody, a husband and father of

three, had something special planned for his children when he came home from Operation Enduring Freedom. And the Burleson Fire Department was going to play a big part in it. Moody, who his family said recently promoted to sergeant, contacted the Burleson city manager's office, Burleson Fire Chief Gary Wisdom, and Police Chief Tom Cowan in early June. Sgt. Moody asked if they could help him surprise his wife and children when he came home. The chief and his firefighters said a resounding yes to the request. Emails and pictures were exchanged. The last email between the sergeant and the fire chief was at 2 p.m. on June 17. Moody and three fellow soldiers lost their lives on June 18. According to the Department of Defense, the four soldiers died in Bagram, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with indirect fire. Moody had deployed to Iraq twice with the Marines and to Afghanistan twice with the Army. Funeral services for Sgt. William R. Moody are scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 6, at Greenwood Funeral Home, 3100 White Settlement Rd., Fort Worth. Read More

Apply for City boards and commissions

If you have ever had an interest in serving on a City board or commission, now is your chance. The deadline to apply is Aug. 2. The City's boards and commissions include Animal Shelter Advisory Committee, Building Codes and Standards Board, Cemetery Board, Library Board, Old Town Design Standards Review Committee, Park Board, Planning and Zoning Commission, and Zoning Board of Adjustment.You can apply online or print an application and turn it in at city hall, 141 W. Renfro St. Go to the Boards & Commissions page on the City website for the application and to learn more about each board/commission.

Adopt a pet and enjoy wine and music Yappy Hour 2012

at third annual Yappy Hour

The Burleson Animal Shelter and Lost Oak Winery are teaming up for the third annual Yappy Hour on Friday, July 12, 7 p.m.-10 p.m., at the winery. Shelter staff will bring adoptable pets to Yappy Hour for on-site adoptions. This year a former American Idol contestant, Nick McCord, will be providing the entertainment. Guests may bring their own pets. Leashes are strongly advised for all pets who attend. Animal shelter staff will be shuttling adoptable pets to the winery from the 775 S.E. John Jones Dr. Burleson Animal Shelter site. Adoption fees range from $55 to $65 and include basic vaccinations and microchipping. Depending on the age of the animal, the fee also includes a rabies vaccination voucher and heartworm and FELV (feline leukemia virus) test. Read More

Connect with Council July 20

The City is hosting the fourth Connect with Council on Saturday, July 20, at 10 a.m. at Hidden Creek Golf Course, 555 E. Hidden Creek Pkwy. Light refreshments will be provided. Councilmembers Jerry Allen, Place 3, and Ronnie Johnson, Place 6, will field questions and talk about their top priorities. Read the council profiles on the City website.

Fourth of July parade was a hit!

Did you see the Burleson Lions Club's Fourth of July Fourth of July Parade 2013 Parade? It was a hit with parade goers Thursday. There was everything from fire trucks and bagpipes to military vehicles, kids on floats, horses, dogs, bicycles, tractors, and more. The City of Burleson was a Gold Sponsor of the parade. To see the rest of the pictures, go to the Burleson Lions Club Fourth of July photo album on the City of Burleson Facebook page.

Teen SWAG event is now Sept. 5

The Teen SWAG Affair that had been scheduled for June has a new date! It will be Thursday, Sept. 5, 4 p.m.-8 p.m., at the Burleson subcourthouse (Ron Harmon Subcourthouse). The subcourthouse is located across from Burleson High School at 247 Elk Dr. Normally, SWAG refers to a person's appearance, style or presentation, but at this free event the message is Sober - Wait - Awareness - Guidance. There will be food, fun, prizes and giveaways as well as lots of educational and fun information. The event is hosted by the staff of the Burleson Municipal Court. For more, call Constance White, director of court services, at 817-426-9220.

Quaker City Night Hawks rocked Old Town

Quaker City Night Hawks had everyone shaking their hips June 28 as they closed out the City's 2013 Hot Sounds of Summer concert series in Old Town Burleson. There was Texas boogie, Memphis soul, heavy blues and southern rock filling the triple digit night. For more pictures go to the Quaker City Night Hawks photo album on the City of Burleson Texas Facebook page.

Hwy. 174 median works starts in July

In June, the Texas Department of Transportation and its contractor, Austin Bridge & Road, completed the seal coat throughout the Hwy. 174 median improvement project area. In addition, work started on wheelchair accessible ramps at the intersections. This month, construction will begin on the Hwy. 174 median. Two lanes will be open in each direction during the median work. The contractor will only work on one median intersection at a time. Work will be suspended July 4-7 and will resume July 8. Toward the end of the project, the contractor will then place an asphalt overlay on the roadway to complete this project. TxDOT's median improvement project on State Hwy. 174/Wilshire Boulevard in Burleson got underway in February 2013. The improvement area stretches from the Hwy. 174/I-35W split to Elk Drive. The project is expected to be complete by April 2014. Improvements include replacement of the center turn lane with a raised curb center median with turn lanes, an overlay of the existing pavement, and landscaping. The center median stops at Elk Drive, but the project overlay continues to FM 731/John Jones Drive.

Mosquito control takes team effort!

City staff has been trapping and testing for mosquitoes since the beginning of May, and, so far, none of those tests have come back positive for West Nile Virus. In May, city

council approved an amendment to the 2012-2013 fiscal year budget to cover the cost of hiring a mosquito control technician and contracting with a private company to ground spray for mosquitoes in areas where a mosquito pool (a pool is defined as standing water) confirms West Nile virus or where a human case of West Nile virus is confirmed. The City is following the guidelines of the CDC. The City also emphasizes the 4 D's: DEET, Dress, Dusk/Dawn and Drain. All mosquitoes begin their lives in standing water so prime breeding sites include discarded tires left outdoors, poorly maintained bird baths, clogged rain gutters, unused swimming pools and plastic wading pools, pet dishes, or any other container capable of holding water for more than a few days.The City is also giving away mosquito larvicide or "dunks" to residents who live inside the city limits of Burleson and who would like to begin a personal mosquito-control program.

Celebrate Parks and Recreation Month!

July is Parks and Recreation Month! The City's parks and recreation department wants you to help them celebrate with pictures. Take a picture of your family, friends, neighbors, or co-workers (make sure you have their permission to use their picture) at any of the City's more than 18 parks, at the BRiCk (Burleson Recreation Center) or just doing something active. Email those pictures to Ashley Newhart along with your name, phone number, and email address. Please identify where the picture was taken in Burleson. The winning pictures may be used in future parks and recreation or City publications. For more information, call 817-426-9104.

When do you water?

When can you water your lawn with a sprinkler system or irrigation system? Residential addresses that end in even numbers (0, 2, 4, 6, and 8) may water on Wednesday and Saturday; residential addresses that end in odd numbers (1, 3, 5, 7, and 9) water on Thursday and Sunday; and non-residential addresses (apartments, businesses, parks, medians, etc.) water on Tuesday and Friday. There is no landscape watering on Monday. Watering with irrigation or sprinkler systems, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., is banned year round. This includes residential and non-residential customers. Go to the Stage 1 Water Restrictions page.

Contact councilmembers, staff

Do you need to contact councilmembers, city manager's office, municipal court, environmental services, or utility customer service? The name, title, phone number and email for every councilmember and City staff member is on the City website. Simply click on Contact Us at the bottom of the home page.

Watch meetings on video

Do you want to know how a vote or discussion went at a Burleson City Council meeting or budget workshop? View the video, live or at your leisure, on the City website. Click on the meeting date, then click on the item you are interested in. There is also a tab for streaming video of the Planning and Zoning Commission. Official minutes of council and commission meetings and workshops and work sessions are not posted on the City website until the city council and/or commission members have approved those minutes at their next scheduled meeting.

Be informed about City government

Do you know what's going on in your City? Choose the form of communication that best suits your style by going to the Communications page on the City website. We have City news releases, the City of Burleson Texas Government Facebook page, the City of Burleson Twitter page, weekly City E-Newsletter, monthly City Focus newsletter, and Blackboard Connect emergency phone notifications.

Thank you for your interest in the City of Burleson's programs, services and events. Post this E-Newsletter on your Facebook profile and Twitter by clicking on the icons at the top of this E-Newsletter. Tell your friends about this E-Newsletter so they can stay in the loop too!

Sally Ellertson
City of Burleson

Public Information Officer

sellertson@burlesontx.com

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CITY EVENTS!

Yappy Hour On-Site Pet Adoptions

Friday, July 12

7 p.m.-10 p.m.

Lost Oak Winery

2116 FM 731

Christmas in July

Craft Fair

Saturday, July 20

9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Senior Activity Center

216 S.W. Johnson Ave.