Airforce Airguns is moving to town

AirForce Airguns, a leader in air gun manufacturing, has been innovating, designing and producing precision pre-charged air guns in the United States for more than 15 years. On Jan. 13, Burleson's Type A Burleson 4A Economic Development Corporation (EDC) closed on property with JAM Real Property to relocate Airforce Airguns' corporate office and manufacturing facility to Burleson. The contract for 7.35 acres in Burleson's HighPoint Business Park is to construct a 21,000-foot manufacturing site for Airforce Airguns. The acreage is on the southwest corner of HighPoint Business Park, located on I-35W just north of FM 917. Airforce Airguns will be the fourth building at HighPoint. For more about AirForce Airguns, go to their website. Pictured: Bradley Ford, City's development services director; John McCaslin from JAM; Dan McClendon, president of the Burleson 4A Economic Development Corporation; Justin Bond, City's economic development manager; and Alex Philips, economic development coordinator for the City of Burleson. 

City facilities close Jan. 19, but we will pick up your trash and recycling!

Trash and curbside recycling will be collected on Monday, Jan. 19, 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. 19 has been moved to Tuesday, Jan. 20. 

You can pick up council candidate packets Jan. 20

City council candidate packets for the May 2015 City election will be available 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday, Jan. 20-Feb. 27, at Burleson City Hall. They will also be available at the Jan. 20, Feb. 2, and Feb. 16 city council meetings. The packet will be posted on the City website on Jan. 20. The three seats on the ballot include Place 1 held by Councilmember Stuart Gillaspie, Place 3 held by Councilmember Jerry Allen, and Place 5 held by Mayor Pro Tem Dan McClendon. Council profiles are available on the City website. The 2015 election is for three-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. The filing period is Jan. 28-Feb. 27. City hall is located at 141 W. Renfro St. For more information, contact the city secretary's office at 817-426-9662 or email.

Water is safe to drink, cook, bathe

The City of Burleson fielded a handful of complaints Tuesday about the taste and odor of the drinking water, so our public works department checked with the City of Fort Worth, which is the source of Burleson's water supply. On Thursday, Jan. 8, a break occurred on the water line from Richland-Chambers Reservoir. This required switching the water supply for the Rolling Hills water treatment plant to only water from Lake Benbrook, which experienced a slight rise in Geosmin levels last week. Bottom line, the water is safe for drinking, cooking, bathing and all other purposes, even though it has an earthy smell and taste. More

Pet a donkey, hunt for Easter eggs March 28

Joey the Donkey had such a good time in 2014 that he wants to host an Easter egg hunt at Russell Farm in 2015. Children up to 4 years old can join him at 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 28. The farm is located at 405 W. CR 714. Joey will pose for pictures, so bring your own camera and Easter baskets. The 30-acre Russell Farm was donated to the City in 2011. The grounds have several galleries containing wood sculptures by Charlie Boren and local artists, along with historical artifacts. For more information, call 817-447-3316.

Heads up Chevrolet truck owners

If you have a Chevrolet truck, listen up. Thieves, Metroplex wide, are targeting 20-inch Chevrolet stock wheels and tires. In just the first 15 days of the new year, Burleson Police have taken four reports. Another enticing item is tailgates because newer vehicles have camera systems in the tailgate. Reports have been taken in both north and south Burleson neighborhoods. Most thieves strike after dark. How can you be part of the solution? If possible, put your vehicle in the garage. If you don't have security cameras on your home, think about investing in a system. Video evidence can make the difference in apprehending a suspect. Do you have an alarm system on your truck? Check them out. Partnering with the police department is another great way to make a difference. If you don't have a Neighborhood Watch group, start one. The "job" of a citizen in a neighborhood watch area is to be suspicious, alert, and to report any suspicious activity to the police department. For everything you need to know about Neighborhood Watch, go to the City website page. To learn more about how to prevent auto theft, go to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicle Auto Theft and Burglary Prevention page.   

Valentine dance tickets are on sale now

The City's parks and recreation department is hosting their annual Father/Daughter & Mother/Son Valentine Dance at the BRiCk on Saturday, Feb. 7. There will be two times, 4 p.m.-6:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m., so if your little ones need to be home in bed they can attend the first dance while the older ones attend the second. The fun includes pictures, corsages, dinner, dancing, and games. The games aren't just for the children! Parents, start practicing now for the three-legged race and the limbo. Pre-event tickets are $16 per couple ($8 per person) and are available at the BRiCk, 550 N.W. Summercrest Blvd. If you wait until Feb. 7 to buy your tickets, the cost is $25 per couple or $12.50 per person. For more information about the sweetest dance, call the BRiCk at 817-426-9104.

Construction on pedestrian/bicycle improvements slated for this fall

We have an update on the pedestrian/bicycle improvement project that garnered federal funding in 2013. Construction is slated to begin in the fall of 2015. The pedestrian and bicycle improvements are between Summercrest Boulevard and McAlister Road. The project includes a sidepath or bicycle lane separated from the road by a landscaped island from Barkridge Trail to Rand Drive; buffered bike lanes from Rand Drive to Cedar Ridge Road (Frazier Elementary); sidewalks from Barkridge to Cedar Ridge; bicycle lanes and sidewalks on Thomas from Hughes Middle School to Summercrest; a widened trail through the south side of the BRiCk property and through the drainage channel to Thomas Street; a roundabout at the Thomas/Summercrest intersection; sidewalks on Summercrest from Barkridge to Hwy. 174; shared lanes, marked only with signage, will carry bicycles along Rand from Summercrest to Newton, Cindy and to Douglas; from Douglas, the shared lanes will continue to Alsbury Boulevard and then to Heberle Street and James Circle; sidewalks will be added to Douglas from Cindy to Alsbury; at James Circle, an off-street trail will carry bikes and pedestrians to McAlister; and, a section of shared lanes, on-street bike lanes and/or buffered bike lanes will continue the route to the existing bike lane section of McAlister which was recently constructed by the City of Fort Worth. View a map of the project.  

Fishing and camping are on the calendar for April

Bailey Lake is the site for the Far Out Family Fun Campout & Fishing Adventures April 25-26, 2015. The City is sponsoring the event that starts at 1 p.m. on Saturday and ends at 8 a.m. on Sunday. Bring the whole family ($10 per family of five if you pre-register; $15 at the event). Each child must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Registering in advance is highly recommended. Register at the BRiCk, 550 N.W. Summercrest Blvd. Bailey Lake is located at 280 W. Hidden Creek Pkwy. Check back for more details!

Check out December's building permits

What's happening in Burleson, Texas? The City's December 2014 building permit activity report has been posted to the City website. Thirty residential permits were issued for a total value of $6-plus million. The average square footage on the new homes is 2,904. The average home value is $200,821. New commercial permits were issued for Kroger, the Burleson Star, Burleson Police Department interior demolition (new building on Hwy. 174), Kroger Fuel Station, and two commercial remodels. The Toyota dealership, 801 S. Burleson Blvd., is complete. Get the full report.

Learn basic CPR and first aid, for free!

If you want to learn how to do basic CPR, the Burleson Fire Department is hosting free basic CPR classes on Saturdays, 9 a.m.-noon, at Fire Station #1, 828 S.W. Alsbury Blvd. The dates are Jan. 31, Feb. 28, March 28, April 25, May 23, June 20, July 18, Aug. 15, Sept. 12, Oct. 10, Nov. 7, and Dec. 5. You must be at least 15 years old. Participants will receive a certificate. This is not a card class. The three-hour course includes very basic and easy hands on CPR, basic first aid, and instruction on an AED. Classes are open to the first 30 people who sign up. Call 817-426-9170.