Soccer complex will be ready for play in spring 2016 with 16 soccer fields

The contractor began mobilizing last Friday, Feb. 13, for the redevelopment of Bartlett Park (550 N.W. Summercrest Blvd.) into a soccer complex. The remaining baseball fields and old parking lot will be demolished to be replaced by 16 soccer fields and a new 662 space parking lot. There will be concrete walks to each bleacher and players bench so that the complex is completely accessible. In addition, there will be a restroom/concession building which will be used to serve food and drink to visitors to the BRiCk's outdoor pool when soccer is not in season. There will also be a playground which will be open to the public at all times. Though the looped walking trail will be removed in some areas so that grading can occur, it will be replaced with a new concrete trail that will be just shy of one mile in length.

KBB wins Presidents Circle Award

Congratulations to Keep Burleson Beautiful!  The non-profit organization that works hand in hand with the City's environmental services division, received a Keep America Beautiful President's Circle Award at the annual Keep America Beautiful National Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C. The President's Circle Award recognizes exemplary performance made by certified affiliates of the national nonprofit in building and sustaining vibrant communities. Keep Burleson Beautiful met the national standards of merit by conducting an annual Community Appearance Index, calculating the affiliate's cost/benefit ratio, and administering activities in the areas of litter prevention, recycling and waste reduction, and beautification and community greening. Read More

Watch for runners on Renfro Street and Hidden Creek Parkway Saturday

Watch for runners if you are on East Renfro Street or Hidden Creek Parkway on Saturday, Feb. 21. The Spartan Athletic Club Cross Country Booster Club is hosting a benefit run, 7 a.m.-11 a.m. The run starts at Centennial High School at 201 S. Hurst Rd. and will cross Renfro Street to Cardinal Ridge. An officer will be working traffic control to get the runners across Cardinal Ridge at Renfro. When the route turns on to East Hidden Creek Parkway, there will be some lane closures in place to protect the runners. The run will also utilize Evandale Road. 

The Hot Sounds of Summer concert series lineup includes . . .  

It's going to be a hot Hot Sounds of Summer concert series in 2015, starting with sophomore sensation Reagan James, best known for making it to the Top 10 on NBC's "The Voice" headlining on May 29, and ending with crowd favorite Le Freak, bringing disco back to Burleson on June 26. J.D. Monson (pictured), country/classic rock, is the headliner June 5. Journey fans don't want to miss ESCAPE on June 12, and a 2014 favorite, Buddy Whittington, is bringing back the blues on June 19. The Hot Sounds of Summer showcases free 90-minute concerts that start at 7:30 p.m., every Friday between May 29 and June 26, at the intersection of Ellison and Wilson streets (124 W. Ellison St.). Read More  

Quintanilla gets $100 credit on utilities

Getting a $100 credit to your City of Burleson utility account (water/trash/curbside recycling) is pretty sweet! The newest bank draft winner is Louis Quintanilla. Names are drawn each month. The drawing is an incentive for utilizing the bank draft feature to pay your City of Burleson utility account. All customers who choose (or currently use) this option are entered into the monthly drawing. Sign up now so you have a chance to be one of the prize winners this fiscal year. Simply fill out an application online, or stop by the Utility Customer Service office located at Burleson City Hall, 141 W. Renfro St., 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday. The staff can start the process to automatically debit your checking account for your utility statement balance. For more information, call 817-426-9601. 

Third challenger enters race for May 9 Burleson City Council election

Another challenger has entered the ring for the May 9 Burleson City Council election. Mark Hotchkiss is challenging incumbent Dan McClendon for the Place 5 seat. Six candidates have filed for three places on the Burleson City Council. Place 3 incumbent Jerry W. Allen has drawn two challengers - John Garrison and Shannan Sutter. Place 1 incumbent Stuart Gillaspie has not drawn an opponent. The filing period ends Friday, Feb. 27, at 5 p.m.  The May 9, 2015 election is for three-year terms. Candidate packets are available at city hall, in the city secretary's office, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday. The candidate packet is also posted on the City website. For more information, contact the city secretary's office at 817-426-9662. Read More

We can teach you basic CPR Feb. 28

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 Feb. 28, March 28, April 25, May 23, June 20, July 18, Aug. 15, Sept. 12, Oct. 10, Nov. 7, and Dec. 5, 2015. 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.

Master Mobility Plan gets thumbs up

Council members gave a thumbs up at the Burleson City Council meeting Feb. 16 to adopting the Burleson Master Mobility Plan. The City's Master Thoroughfare Plan (MTP) was last revised in 2007. In 2010, council approved the award of a contract to Kimley-Horn Associates to update the MTP. The goal was to incorporate the MTP into a multi-modal Mobility Plan based on feedback received from the Imagine Burleson 2030 Comprehensive Plan adopted by Council in April 2010. Since that time, substantial additional changes have been made to the Master Thoroughfare Plan with the addition and realignment of a number of roadways based on existing and anticipated growth patterns. In addition, a Bike Path Plan has been developed to be included with the Mobility Plan and the Parks Department's Master Trail Plan has been incorporated into the document as well. Go to City website and click on the Burleson Master Mobility Plan,the Master Thoroughfare Plan map and the Bike Path and Trail Map. 

Get plugged in to police updates

Do you want to know more about what's going on in your neighborhood and city? The Burleson Police Department launched a Facebook page - Burleson Police Department Texas. "Like" the page! Tool number 2 is CrimeReports. Citizens can register to receive official alerts from the Burleson Police Department daily, weekly, or monthly on any number of crime types listed on the crime map. This information is provided through automated email messaging. The third tool is NextDoor. This is a free private network for you and your neighborhood. The Burleson Police Department has partnered with NextDoor to be able to communicate directly with residents. This is a two-way relationship. Each week, crime prevention and/or safety topics are posted by the department's community resource officer. Residents can reply to the post and get answers or communicate directly through private posts. For more, call the Burleson Police Department at 817-426-9910. 

Meet the Easter Bunny at Hidden Creek Sports Complex March 28

The City's annual Bunny Daze celebration starts at noon on Saturday, March 28, at the Hidden Creek Sports Complex's Field 1 (Bartlett Park is under renovations). Bunny Daze is a free two-hour event. Bring your children, camera and Easter baskets. There will be onstage performances, carnival games, face painting, and more. The Easter Bunny will be at Bunny Daze to meet and greet and pose for pictures. The Easter egg hunt starts at 1:30 p.m. in the sports complex. The children, up to age 12, will be divided into age groups to hunt for eggs, including prize eggs. If you want to be a vendor, the booth spaces are $20 for a 10x10 space.The park is located at 295 E. Hidden Creek Pkwy., next to Hidden Creek Golf Course. For more information call the BRiCk at 817-426-9104.

You communicated with us!

How do you get your information about City of Burleson events, programs, meetings and more? Number one answer? You use the City's Facebook pages. You could pick as many communication tools as you wanted out of a list of 20 in the 2014 Communications Survey. The top three choices of residents and of those who work in or visit Burleson are Facebook (65.9 percent), the weekly E-Newsletter (56.8 percent), and the City website (43.2 percent). More than 70 percent of you are satisfied/very satisfied with the feedback you get from City staff and feel that you have ample opportunity to be involved in the decisions made by City staff/city council concerning City services, economic and community development, and programs. Read More

Check out our trails/walking paths

Construction fencing will be up around the ball fields and walking trail at Bartlett Park today, Feb. 13. The walking trail around Bartlett Park will be closed until construction on the new soccer fields is complete, which is projected to be March 2016. This is a great time to explore the other walking options in Burleson by going to the Parks & Amenities page on the City website. There are more than a half a dozen trails/walking paths, including the Oak Valley walking trail, 2.21 miles; Mistletoe Park, 1/4 of a mile; Meadowcrest Park, 3/10 of a mile; Prairie Timber, half a mile; Elkridge Park, 1/10 mile; Centennial Park, 2/10 of a mile, Chisenhall Fields Sports Complex, half a mile, and the nature trail across the creek at Chisenhall Fields, three quarters of a mile. Locations and other amenities are listed in the link above. If you have any questions about our parks system, please call Ike Vera, assistant director of parks, at 817-426-9291.