Place 3 incumbent withdraws his name from May council election

Jerry W. Allen, the Place 3 incumbent on Burleson City Council, withdrew his name from the May 9 election. He filed his intent to withdraw, in writing, at the March 2 Burleson City Council meeting. What was a five-way race for Place 3 on Feb. 27 (the last day to file) is now a four-way race. Those vying for the Place 3 seat in May are John Garrison, Shannan Sutter, Curtis E. Hawk, and DanO Strong. The Place 5 race is also contested. Mark Hotchkiss filed against incumbent Dan McClendon. Stuart Gillaspie did not draw a challenger for his Place 1 seat. Allen has served on the Burleson City Council for 13 years, 1998-2007 and 2011-present. He served on the Planning and Zoning Commission from 1991 through 1998 (chairman, 1996-1998). He was appointed to the Burleson City Council in 1998 to fill the seat of Byron Black, who had been elected mayor. Allen was elected mayor pro tem by his peers and served in that capacity, 2000-2007. Due to business travel responsibilities, he stepped down from council in 2007, then was re-elected in 2011. If you haven't registered to vote, the deadline to do so and still be eligible to vote in the May 9 city council election is April 9. Early voting begins April 27. Read More

Teams can rent fields until 10 p.m. during summer break (March 8-15)

For the week of March 8 - March 15, 2015, the City's parks and recreation department will be renting out Field 3 at Hidden Creek Sports Complex until 10 p.m. and all fields at Chisenhall Fields Sports Complex until 10 p.m. Hidden Creek will be available for rentals on all three fields on Saturdays and Sundays (no light rentals available at Hidden Creek on the weekends). Rentals without lights are $10 per hour and with lights are $30 per hour. You may only have one field rental on the books at all times. Once you have used your rental you may rent the fields again. For rental information contact the BRICK at 817-426-9106. You must pay at the time of a reservation and must carry your receipt to the ball field for verification. Hidden Creek is located at 295 E. Hidden Creek Pkwy., next to Hidden Creek Golf Course. Chisenhall Fields is located at 500 W. Hidden Creek Pkwy.

We have a recycling center!

If you have items that need to be recycled, please take advantage of the City's Compost/Mulch/Recycling center at 610 Memorial Plaza, behind Fire Station #2/next to Burleson Memorial Cemetery. The center is open Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.  The center is for City residents only (bring a trash/water bill for proof of residency). Check out the Recycling FAQs on the City website.

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, 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 (pictured), 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  

Your water may smell/taste funny . . .

The Tarrant Regional Water District, which supplies the City of Fort Worth (the City of Burleson buys its water from the City of Fort Worth), is changing the source water for Fort Worth's Rolling Hills Water Treatment Plant. The change is necessary so TRWD can perform routine maintenance on the 90-inch pipeline that carries water from Richland-Chambers Reservoir. The maintenance is expected to take two weeks to complete (projected end date is approximately March 16). Rolling Hills will receive a blend of water from Cedar Creek Lake and Lake Benbrook, both of which have their own treatment challenges. Lake Benbrook water is of the most concern to customers because tests are showing high levels of Geosmin, which cause taste and odor issues. Geosmin is not an issue in the water from Cedar Creek Lake. The water is safe for drinking, cooking, bathing and all other purposes, even though it may have an earthy smell and taste. High levels of Geosmin are a normal occurrence for this time of year. Read More  

Burleson will honor Vietnam veterans with celebration March 27

Major General Lester "Les" Simpson will be the guest speaker for the Friday, March 27, fourth annual Vietnam Veterans Celebration at Veterans Memorial Plaza in Burleson. The event begins at 2 p.m. The Burleson Heritage Foundation and the City of Burleson are hosting the event. The celebration will include the presentation of colors; the Burleson Police Department's firing team and "Taps" by a bugler; and representatives from Burleson, Cleburne, Arlington, Midlothian and Fort Worth Police serving with the Pipes and Drums Corps. Burleson Mayor Ken Shetter and Congressman Roger Williams are also scheduled to speak at the celebration. Read More 

Deadline to pay City utility bill is today 

Was your City utility bill (water/trash/curbside recycling) due March 5? The Utility Customer Service division will not charge a late fee on bills that were due on March 5, as long as the payment is made by 5 p.m. today, March 6. Stop by  Burleson City hall today, or you can pay your utility bill over the phone or online. Pay over the phone by calling 1-855-498-9971. This automated service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You will need your utility account number and the amount you would like to pay. See payment options.

Watch out for runners tomorrow

The Zonta Club of Johnson County is hosting a 5K/1K Fun Run on Saturday, March 7, starting at Pathway Church (formerly St. Matthew Cumberland Presbyterian Church) at 380 N.W. Tarrant Ave. The timeframe is 7 a.m.-12 p.m. The race begins at 8 a.m. Street closures include Gordon Street at N.W. Tarrant to N.W. Tarrant at S.W. Thomas Street. If you are familiar with the Harvest Run route, this will start on the Tarrant Avenue side of the church campus. Watch for runners on N.W. Tarrant, S.W. Murphy Road, N.W. Charlyne Dr., S.W. Alsbury Boulevard, and S.W. Rand Dr. Volunteers will also be manning water stops. 

Burleson Police Department vies for ninth reaccreditation

A team of assessors representing the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) is coming to Burleson on Sunday, March 29, as the Burleson Police Department vies for its ninth reaccreditation. Burleson was the first police department in Texas to be accredited by CALEA in 1987. The assessors will be in town March 29 - April 1.  Comments from the public are welcome at a public hearing slated for 6:30 p.m. on Monday, March 30, in the Precinct 2 courtroom at the Ron Harmon Sub Courthouse located at 247 Elk Dr. Read More

It's just a scenario

Be prepared for a lot of truck and public safety traffic around Centennial High School (201 S. Hurst Rd.) on Monday, March 9. EH&S Barnett Gathering is conducting a gas well training scenario involving its employees as well as the Burleson Fire Department, Burleson Police Department and the City's gas well inspectors. The timeframe is 10:30 a.m.-noon. The scenario will take place just past Wyche Court on South Hurst Road. Traffic on Hurst Road (by the high school), Wyche Court and Flamingo Circle will be affected. Again, this is not an emergency. It is a training scenario. 

Honor your military veteran with a brick

Do you have a brick at Veterans Memorial Plaza? Burleson Bricks for Veterans began in 2007 with the vision of a dedicated citizen and a Burleson businessman, Betty Shelton and Rocky Bransom. The bricks are located in the City-owned Veterans Memorial Plaza at the corner of Renfro Street and I-35W. Bricks are $15 each and include the military veteran's name, branch of service, and any conflict(s) in which he or she may have been involved.  The Burleson Public Library heads up this program. You can mail your payment in or stop by the Burleson Public Library at 248 S.W. Johnson Ave. The library is open 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Monday-Wednesday and 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Thursday-Saturday. For more information and to fill out the form, go to the Bricks for Veterans page on the City website. 

Learn what it takes to be a firefighter

Are you interested in a crash course on what it takes to be a firefighter? Then sign up for the Burleson Fire Department's free five-day Citizens Fire Academy. Class is April 6-10, 6 p.m.-9 p.m. This is for the adults (the department hosts a Junior Firefighter Academy each summer). The academy is open to residents of Burleson and employees who work in Burleson. The curriculum includes fire operations, fire apparatus, personal protective equipment, search and rescue, fire attack/hose, fire extinguishers, vehicle extrication, special operations, and an introduction to CERT (Community Emergency Response Team). Students will learn basic CPR and first aid. The deadline to apply is April 3. Call 817-426-9176.