Trash and curbside recycling will be collected on Monday, Jan. 20, but City facilities will be closed in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. Hidden Creek Golf Course will be open, 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m., but the Burleson Recreation Center (the BRiCk), library, animal shelter, and Senior Activity Center will be closed. The Burleson City Council meeting scheduled for Jan. 20 has been moved to Tuesday, Jan. 21. The work session is at 6 p.m. and the general meeting is at 7 p.m. at city hall.

A mobile computer lab rolled up in to the parking lot at the Academy at Nola Dunn Jan. 14 to teach basic computer skills to those who had registered for the class. The teacher was Marc Marchand, director of library services for the City. The students who participated in today's class were there for a variety of reasons. Some wanted to gain computer skills to help them in their jobs, others wanted to learn how better to use their home computers. The two-hour class was the first actual class ever taught in the Workforce Solutions of Cleburne mobile computer lab, a large RV-like vehicle with a computer classroom inside. Upcoming classes are slated for February 21 (Tuesday), March 28 (Friday), April 22 (Tuesday) and May 23 (Friday). Times are 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Read More

The sweetest dance is between a parent and a child, and the City is setting the stage to make that happen for Valentine's Day. Parents and their children have two chances to  celebrate with their favorite valentines on Saturday, Feb. 8. If you have little ones who can't stay up until 9 p.m., sign up for the 4 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Father/Daughter and Mother/Son Valentine Dance at the BRiCk. If you have older children, you can sign up for the 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m. Father/Daughter and Mother/Son Valentine Dance. The events will feature a dinner, dancing coordinated by a professional disc jockey, games, corsages and pictures. Pre-event tickets may be purchased at the BRiCk, 550 N.W. Summercrest Blvd. The cost is $16 per couple or $8 per person. At the door, tickets are $25 per couple or $12.50 per person. For more information, call the BRiCk at 817-426-9104.

We receive a lot of calls about the City's Recycle/Compost/Mulch center! Residents can drop off recyclables or pick up free mulch at the center at 620 Memorial Plaza. The site is open on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. The compost site will only accept brush, tree limbs and yard waste. Accepted recyclables are dry newspaper including slicks/ads, phone books, catalogs, magazines, writing paper, mail, cardboard, unbroken glass bottles and jars, tin cans,aluminum cans, empty aerosol cans, and plastics labeled # 1 - 5 and # 7. Rinse plastic and metal containers and surfaces; remove all caps, lids and pumps; and take plastic liners out of cereal boxes. It is not necessary to remove labels from containers, or to sort the different types of recyclables. For more information about recycling, read Preparing Your Recyclables on the City website.

If you want to represent your neighbors on the Burleson City Council, candidate packets for the May 2014 City election will be available this month at Burleson City Hall. The four seats on the ballot include Place 2, held by Councilmember Rick Green; Place 4, held by Councilmember Matt Aiken; Place 6, held by Councilmember Ronnie Johnson; and mayor, held by Ken Shetter. Due to the Nov. 5 change to the charter, the candidates who fill the four spots on the council in May will be serving three-year terms instead of two-year terms. Candidates must be at least 18 years old on the date they apply for a place on the ballot; a citizen of the United States; a qualified voter of the city; a resident of the city or have resided in the city for at least one year immediately preceding the date of the election; and not be delinquent in the payment of property due to the City of Burleson. The filing period is Jan. 29-Feb. 28, 2014. For more information, contact the city secretary's office at 817-426-9661.