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Welcome to the free City of Burleson weekly E-Newsletter! There are more than 1,700 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. 

May 13, 2016
Saturday is purge day for household waste, electronics and paper
Household Hazardous Waste, Electronic Recycling, and Paper Shredding is at 725 S.E. John Jones Dr.

Saturday, May 14, is the day to free yourself of clutter. The City of Burleson's free semiannual Household Hazardous Waste, Electronic Recycling, & Paper Shredding event slated for 9 a.m.-11 a.m., at a new location - the Municipal Service Center, 725 S.E. John Jones Dr. (next to the Burleson Animal Shelter).

Items are collected on a first come, first served basis. The City event is only open to residents who live inside the Burleson city limits (proof of residency including a City water or solid waste bill is required).

Staff will unload the household hazardous waste items from your vehicle in to the City of Fort Worth's Crud Cruiser. Unicor is recycling your electronics, and Expanco will accept your paper for shredding. All electronics and appliances, including TVs, will be taken for free. There is no fee for paper shredding, but the volume is limited to three document-sized boxes per vehicle. Get the rest of the details here.
You could be the next recipient of a $100 City utility credit!
Getting a $100 credit to your City of Burleson utility account (water/trash/curbside recycling) is pretty sweet! Congratulations go to R.E. Coffey!
 
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.
Subscribe to the 4 D's of repelling mosquitoes now!
The City of Arlington conducted targeted ground spraying for West Nile Virus May 9-10 after a mosquito tested positive for the virus.
 
In 2015, the City of Burleson conducted targeted ground spraying 11 times, between July 9 and Oct. 11, after mosquitoes tested positive for West Nile Virus. May is just the beginning of mosquito season which stretches to October.
 
The City of Burleson has been actively addressing the mosquito presence in the area, by means of trapping, testing, and treating areas that hold standing water. Standing water is the ideal location for mosquito breeding. The most effective way to reduce mosquito populations is by denying them a place to breed. Protect yourself! Last year, more than 70 percent of West Nile Virus victims did not use repellent. Defend yourself by using the 4Ds.
  • DEET - Use insect repellents that contain DEET or any other EPA approved insect repellent.
  • Dress - Wear long sleeves and long pants when you are outside.
  • Dusk / Dawn - Dusk and dawn are the times of day you should try to stay indoors.
  • Drain - Mosquitoes need stagnant water to grow. Eliminate stagnant water from your home and report other areas of stagnant water to the City.
If you have any concerns about mosquito breeding grounds in your area, you can report that online (go to Code Compliance, then Pool/Stagnant water), or contact David Lenartowicz, the City's environmental specialist, at 817-426-9842 or email him.
Tee off for literacy at Links Fore Literacy tournament May 20
Do you want a really good reason to take a Friday off to go golfing? The Friends of the Burleson Public Library are hosting the 2nd annual Links Fore Literacy Golf Tournament at Hidden Creek Golf Course on May 20. The proceeds will help provide support to the library's youth services - youth robotics, Burleson Young Builders, Summer Reading Club - and providing a safe place for teens after school.
 
Registration is at 11 a.m. on May 20, followed by a barbeque lunch at noon and a shotgun scramble start at 1 p.m. The cost is $75 for a single player, $300 for a team of four, and $50 for City of Burleson employees. Awards will be given to the first, second and third place teams, as well as Closest to the Pin, Longest Drive and Hole-in-One.
 
Golfers are encouraged to sign up in advance on the Eventbrite website. You can also sign up the day of the event. The deadline to commit to be a Links Fore Literacy sponsor is today, May 13. Levels range from $50 to $2,000. Contact Terry Boyer or Jim Wadlow for more about sponsorships.
It's all-you-can-eat pancakes and fun at Russell Farm May 14
All you can eat pancakes are what's for breakfast on Saturday, May 14, when the Kiwanis Club of Burleson hosts Pancake Day at the City-owned Russell Farm. For $6 you get coffee, juice, milk, sausage and all you can eat pancakes. Children, six and younger, eat free.
 
There's more to Pancake Day than eating. The fun, 8 a.m.-noon, includes old fashioned games, wood carving demonstrations, music by Twin Fiddles Production, Mark Hickman, and the Good Time Band, karaoke by the Senior Center Crew, strolling musicians Tommy and Myra Hoyler, Joey the donkey and his barnyard friends, and tours of the Russell Farm art galleries, workshops, the 1877 Russell House, and the community gardens.
 
Youngsters can meet historical figures Rufus and Georgia Burleson, Henry and Mollie Renfro, Annette Renfro, G.M. and Ruth Ann Dodge, share croppers, farm hands, the schoolmarm, Martha Russell, and more. Don't forget your camera . . . there are some great picture opportunities at the farm.
 
Russell Farm is located at 405 W. County Road 714, three miles south of Old Town Burleson. For more information about Pancake Day call John Duke Smith at 817-713-2729. Proceeds from Pancake Day will be used for Kiwanis-sponsored youth events.
Police want to know how you rate their service to the community
Deadline to comment is June 10

The Burleson Police Department wants to know what you think about their service to the community. The department conducts a survey every three years that focuses on different aspects of the department's police services as well as questions relating to the community's perceptions of quality of life issues.
 
You can take the survey online. If you are more comfortable completing handwritten surveys, copies are available in the lobby of the Burleson Police Department, 1161 S.W. Wilshire Blvd. (Wilshire at Elk Drive); Burleson Public Library, 248 S.W. Johnson Ave.; or the lobby of Burleson City Hall, 141 W. Renfro St.  You can return the surveys to any one of those three locations.
 
If you have questions, please call Mike Alley at 817-426-9979.  We will accept your comments between May 13 and June 10.  Thank you, in advance, for your input!
Take the pledge then submit your dog's picture for calendar contest
Deadline to submit pictures is June 30

Does your dog have the personality to be cover photo calendar material? Let the public decide.
 
The North Central Texas Regional Stormwater Management Program is hosting a 2017 Doo the Right Thing Calendar Photo Contest. All you have to do is take the pledge to "doo the right thing" then submit a picture of your dog. The deadline is 11:59 p.m. on June 30.
 
The Doo the Right Thing pledge means that you commit to pick up your dog's waste when you are walking, regularly pick up droppings in your yard, and properly dispose of the waste.
 
To be eligible for the full-page image for the month, photos must be at least 3000x2000 pixels and in landscape orientation. Photos of lesser quality or in portrait orientation may be considered as supplemental images for the calendar. You must be a resident of the 16-county North Central Texas Council of Governments region, which includes Tarrant and Johnson Counties, and Burleson, to participate.
 
Qualified submissions will be posted to the contest webpage by the end of July, then, in August, the public gets two weeks to cast a vote for the picture they think should be the cover photo. You can only vote once. Read More about the Doo the Right Thing photo contest.
Work is underway on Summercrest Boulevard/McAlister
Road bike and walking project
The Summercrest Boulevard/McAlister Road bike and walking project that will link neighborhoods to parks, schools, and other public facilities kicked off in April.
 
This project includes a side path 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 Trail to Cedar Ridge; bicycle lanes and sidewalks on Thomas Street from Hughes Middle School to Summercrest; a widened trail through the south side of the BRiCk property and through the drainage channel to Thomas; a roundabout at the Thomas/Summercrest intersection; shared lanes, marked only with signage, will carry bicycles along Rand from Summercrest to Newton Drive, Cindy Lane and to Douglas Street; from Douglas, the shared lanes will continue to Alsbury Boulevard and then to Heberle Drive and James Circle; sidewalks will be added to Douglas from Cindy to Alsbury; and at James Circle an off-street trail will carry bikes and pedestrians to McAlister.
 
A section of shared lanes and 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. The projected timeline for the opening of the bike/walking project is early 2017.
Are you ready for some Hot Sounds of Summer concerts?
First concert is Friday, May 27

Give a big shout out to our Hot Sounds of Summer 2016 concert sponsors! They are Fresco's Mexicana, 92.1 HANK FM radio, H-E-B, Lumin+Care Family Care-Urgent Care, NuLifeClinic at Lumin+Care, P and R Print LLC, 95.9 the RANCH radio, and City Market. Thanks in part to their commitment we are able to bring you five free 90-minute concerts in Old Town Burleson and a free 90-minute Independence Day Concert and Fireworks Show at Chisenhall Fields Sports Complex.
 
The Hot Sounds of Summer concerts start at 7:30 p.m. in Old Town, 124 W. Ellison Street. The Independence Day concert kicks off at 7:30 p.m. The lineup includes:
 
May 27: Local Yoakam, Dwight Yoakam tribute band  
June 3 - Poo Live Crew, classic rock variety show (pictured) 
June 10 - Texas Flood, Stevie Ray Vaughan tribute band
June 17 - M-80s, 1980s retro rock
June 24 - Ray Wylie Hubbard, country/honky tonk/the blues
July 4 - Escape, Journey Tribute Band
Keep your eyes on the skies & your ears tuned to weather updates
It is severe weather season! Burleson is extremely fortunate to have four major TV news stations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. If you haven't already, go to the app store on your mobile device and download the TV station's weather apps. If you're not signed up for the City of Burleson's Everbridge emergency alert system, you can do that online. If you are signed up for Everbridge, the City will alert you to severe thunderstorm warnings (70 mph winds or higher and/or quarter-size hail) based on the geographic location you list on your Everbridge profile. Tornado warnings will be issued for all Everbridge subscribers, regardless of where you live in the city.
 
The City has an outdoor warning siren system. The sirens are used to alert those who are outdoors - walking, golfing, playing sports, doing yardwork, etc. They are not designed for you to hear them if you are indoors. The sites of Burleson's outdoor warning sirens are online. 
 
If you are home or have a TV at work, be sure to tune in to your favorite news station for updates. If you are on the road, turn that dial to the news radio stations. You can also track the National Weather Service's Fort Worth Office and your local news stations on Facebook and Twitter.
 
And finally, if you have family, neighbors, friends or co-workers who do not use mobile technology, please check on them today and make sure they are aware of the potential for severe weather. Let's all watch out for each other!
Have you lost or found a pet? Let the animal shelter know
If your pet has gone missing, it is extremely important that you go by the Burleson Animal Shelter, 775 SE John Jones Dr., to view the animals at least once every 72 hours. You may submit a form onlineemail the animal shelter, or call 817-426-9283 to make a report. It is very important to send an email to the shelter with a picture of the lost or found animal so the employees know exactly what to look for.

When calling to report a missing pet, please leave the following information: owner's name, owner's address, contact phone numbers, and a description of the pet. Also include any identification tag numbers the pet may be wearing. The shelter staff maintains a list of all the animals reported missing or found.

If you have found a pet, you can also submit a form online, email or call. The link for a found pet is the same link for the lost pet. If it is after hours, you can check a found pet for a microchip at the Burleson Animal Emergency Hospital on Alsbury Boulevard, near Albertsons. Please do not give away or rehome a found pet.

The Burleson Animal Shelter is open 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Tuesday-Friday and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturdays.
Keep up with all the 2016 City events via City Facebook
Are you a fan of the City of Burleson Texas Government Facebook page? If you're not, you should be. All of the City of Burleson events for 2016 are posted under the Events tab. Even if you are not a fan, you can see the Events tab, but we want you to be a fan! We are working hard to get all of our City-coordinated event dates set so you can mark your calendars now. You don't want to miss a thing! Just click on the Facebook EVENTS tab.
How do you stay in the loop on City news and events?
Do you know how to stay in the loop on City events and programs? This weekly E-Newsletter is one of your options. Sign up for it online.
 
The central hub of all City information is the City of Burleson website. Do you need to call staff? Click on the orange telephone at the top of the website. Do you want to be notified when we post public notices, Pet of the Week, City holiday or weather closures, job openings, the latest news releases, and calendar events? Click on the red Stay Notified icon in the middle of the homepage.
 
Did you know that the City has a mobile app? Go to the App store on your mobile device, type in "Burleson," then download the "City of Burleson Texas" app. There are 20 icons on the app that connect you with us. We also have an app for trash and recycling. Type in "Burleson" then download the "Burleson Waste & Recycling" app. Both apps are free!
 
Is social media more your style? Check out the City's seven Facebook pages, two Twitter pages, YouTube channel, Google+, and Instagram on the Engage With Burleson link  at the bottom of the homepage. That link also includes a link to the City Focus newsletter that is sent to all City utility customers monthly, except for February and July.
 
The City observes seven holidays in 2016. You can find that list on the City Holidays page. If City facilities are closed, we post an alert at the top of every City website page at least one day in advance of the closure and for the duration of the closure. You can also find the holiday closures under the Recent News tab on the homepage.

Have questions? Call the Public Information Office at 817-426-9622.  
Want to know what's being discussed and how the vote goes?
Are you looking for agendas for City meetings? You can still access them through the Public Notices page on the City of Burleson website, but now you can go straight to the agenda by using the Agendas & Minutes page.

You can see current meeting agendas as well as past meeting agendas, minutes, and video (Burleson City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission meetings are live streamed and archived). Minutes reflecting the outcome of agenda items are approved at the next regular meeting of the council, commission, boards and committees.

If you don't want to wait until the next meeting to read the minutes, you can view the video of the meeting by going to the Streaming Video page on the City website.


Do you know what's going on in your City? Choose the form of communication that best suits your style by going to the Engage with Burleson page on the City's new website. We have Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, the City Focus monthly newsletter, this weekly E-Newsletter, streaming video of our public meetings, and a link to our City staff directory. If you want to keep up with the latest happenings, go to News Releases on the City website and, check out the Events calendar on the City Facebook. If you aren't signed up to receive the City's Everbridge emergency notifications (severe thunderstorm warning, tornado warning, mosquito spraying alert, etc.), you can do that now by going to the City of Burleson Alert System signup page. Thank you for being engaged with your City!

Sincerely,

Sally Ellertson
City of Burleson

City of Burleson
817-426-9622 | [email protected] | http://www.burlesontx.com
 
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