City Connections - January Edition

Parking Lot Safety

• Hide or remove your valuables when leaving your car. Park close to your destination, especially if it's going to be dark when you return, even if it means waiting for a space to become free.
• At night, try to park under a street light.
• Leave your engine running until you've gathered everything and you're ready to get out of the car. Check your surroundings to make sure they look safe before you get out of the car.
• When you're walking back to your car, keep your keys in hand, so you can get into the car quickly or use them as a weapon if needed.
• Always take the most brightly lit path to and from your car.
• After you open the car door, check the front and back seats to make sure no one is hiding inside.
• Lock your doors once you get inside the car.
• If someone suspicious approaches you, honk your horn and flash the lights to draw attention.
• If your instinct suggests danger when you are parking or coming back to your car, leave the area until you're sure it is secure.

Vacation Watch - Going on vacation?

Highland Village police officers will patrol your home while you are gone. Officers look for any signs of unusual activity or suspicious persons loitering near your home.  During the past year, we conducted 10,149 vacation watch checks of those homes while the owners were out of town. Contact us at 972-317-6551 to have your home placed on Vacation Watch or download a vacation watch form and fax it or drop it by the Police Department anytime. You can also call us when your form is ready and we will send an officer to your home to pick it up. 

Your Highland Village Water

Sanitary Sewer Overflows

Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSO) has become a major issue with the Federal & State Agencies in recent years.  A recent study shows that 43% of all SSO’s are caused by pipe blockages.  Of those pipe blockages, a large portion of them are attributed to Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) in the collections systems.  Naturally, Cities target the Food Service Establishments by inspecting required grease traps on a monthly cycle.  But we must all be reminded to not pour grease down the sink from our holiday meals. 

Water Conservation

Is just as important during the winter months as during the summer months.  In the City of Highland Village, sewer rates are taken from winter averaging.  The following are just a few ideas that could help you and your family conserve water.

1. Check every faucet in you home for leaks; if a leak is detected, have it repaired as soon as possible.  A slow drip can waste 15 (fifteen) to 20 (twenty) gallons of water per day.
2. When you wash clothes or dishes, wash only full loads even though your machine may feature a short cycle.
3. Install water saving devices such as water saving shower heads, or flow restrictors.  They are easy to install and available from your local hardware store, these devises can save up to 3 (three) gallons of water per minute.
4. Do not use your toilet as an ashtray or waste basket.  Every time you flush a tissue or cigarette butt, or other small bits of trash, you use 3 (three) to 7 (seven) gallons of water.  This usage depends upon the age of your plumbing fixtures.

If you would like additional information on water conservation or information regarding our water, please call the utility operations office at 972-317-2989.

Water Disinfection Program

During the winter months it is not uncommon to see fire hydrants being flushed.  This is an important part of keeping the proper disinfection levels required by regulatory agencies.  It also exercises the hydrants so they will perform correctly in case they are needed in an emergency.

Cold Weather Is Here!

Here are tips to assist you during the winter to help prevent frozen water pipes:

1. Be sure to disconnect all outside water hoses.  This will prevent an overnight freeze from bursting either the faucet or the pipe it is connected to.
2. Insulate pipes or faucets in unheated areas with pipe wrapping materials that are available at any hardware stores.
3. Locate your shut-off valve.  Some homes have accessible valves, while others only have shut-off valves in the meter boxes.  Please keep our Utility Service number handy, so that you may contact us in the event of an emergency.
4. Any plumbing inside your home that is facing an outside wall should be considered during winter months.  To help prevent these pipes from freezing, open the cabinets to expose the pipes to the warm inside.

How To Protect Stormwater Quality

You can protect our untreated water resources:

• Report illegal dumping;
• Do Use the least toxic alternatives for managing pests and diseases in landscapes;
• Do Follow package directions when applying pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers;
• Do not apply pesticides or fertilizers when rain is expected;
• Recycle or properly dispose of toxic chemicals in your home.  For more information on free drop-off locations for household chemicals, call the City of Highland Village Public Works Office at 972-899-5091.
• Do not direct fallen leaves to the storm inlets, they will block the flow of water and cause flooding.

CPR Classes

 

Learn to save a life! The Highland Village Fire Department conducts monthly CPR and Health Care Provider courses for our residents.  Training covers Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) for Adults, Infants and Children and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) training.  Participants learn how to perform CPR and care for breathing and cardiac emergencies in adults, how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED) and learn how to prevent, recognize and provide basic care for breathing and cardiac emergencies in infants and children under the age of 12. Upcoming CPR - Healthcare Provider classes will be held on Thursday, January 8, 2009 and Thursday, February 5 , 2009 from 6:00-9:00 pm. CPR costs are $25 for residents of Highland Village and $45 for non-residents.  Healthcare Provider costs are $35 for residents and $55 for non-residents. A form of ID is required for address verification. Please contact the Highland Village Fire Department at (972) 317-0890 to sign-up.  Class size is limited!!

 

DCTA Service Improvement Program Continues: Service in Highland Village and Lewisville Being Reviewed

 

In an effort to better serve residents, increase ridership and improve service efficiencies, DCTA is conducting a comprehensive review of all services.  The planning staff is considering service modifications that will better match our services with ridership demand. The university shuttle system will be improved to match the anticipated growth in student populations over the coming years. Potential measures to improve operational efficiencies on Access are also being reviewed. In anticipation of rail service beginning in 2010, the service improvement program will outline strategies to ensure DCTA’s bus services offer adequate and timely connections to the A-train and its five rail stations.

During the months of January and February, the Highland Village/Lewisville Connect services are being reviewed. Staff has developed some preliminary recommendations that include increased coverage and frequency and new service along High School, Bellaire and Rockbrook; improved transfer opportunities at Main Street Wal-Mart, along Business 121, and the Vista Ridge Mall. Staff is also analyzing the performance of Route 22 along FM 407. Through this analysis and public feedback, DCTA hope to determine the appropriate service levels for this corridor or other alternatives that will better meet the travel needs of Highland Village residents.

 

A series of public meetings will be held in Lewisville and Highland Village to review the proposed modifications and gather comments from the public. Persons with hearing or sight interpretive service needs are asked to contact DCTA at 972.221.4600 or info@dcta.net at least two business days in advance of the meeting. Those residents unable to attend the meeting but would like to share their thoughts on service improvements can contact Boris Palchik, Senior Planner, at 972.221.4600 or through email at bpalchik@dcta.net.

 

We are still attempting to finalize additional meeting venues in Highland Village that would be accessible by using Route 22. Once these meetings are finalized they will be posted on dcta.net. The schedule and locations of the currently finalized public meetings are as follows:

Tuesday, January 27th - 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
City of Lewisville Municipal Annex
(Community Room)
1197 W. Main
Lewisville, TX 75067
Connect Routes 20 & 21

Tuesday, January 27th - 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
City of Lewisville Municipal Annex
(Community Room)
1197 W. Main
Lewisville, TX 75067
Connect Routes 20 & 21

Wednesday, January 28th - 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Highland Village City Hall
(Police Training Room)
1000 Highland Village Road
Highland Village, TX 75077

Wednesday, January 28th - 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Highland Village City Hall
(Police Training Room)
1000 Highland Village Road
Highland Village, TX 75077

Resolution Run – 5K Run/Walk
& 5K Four-Legged Friend Run

Benefiting the Highland Village Trail System

Saturday, January 17, 2009
8:00 a.m. Race Day Registration
9:00 a.m. 5K Race Start
9:15 a.m. Dog Race Start
Fees: $22 Adult; $15 Student/Kid; $25 Dog & Partner Entry
Visit www.highlandvillage.org for details
Register On-Line at www.HVPF.com or at www.terrafirmapromo.com/events/resolution or
Parks and Recreation Office at City of Highland Village
Registration Fees:
$22 Adult; $15 Students/Kids; $25 Dog & Partner Entry
Register by January 9 and receive a long sleeve Resolution Run Shirt

Senior All Stars Choctaw Casino Day Trip

Wednesday, January 21, 2009. Sign-Up NOW!  And plan for February 25, 2009. Space is limited; sign up by January 14, 2009. Cost is $5, includes $10 Casino play money, $10 Black Jack play money and a $5 food coupon. Register at the Parks and Recreation Department at 1000 Highland Village Road. The bus leaves from the City of Highland Village Municipal Complex, 1000 Highland Village Road, at 9:00 a.m. and leaves Choctaw at 4:00 p.m. Feel free to contact the Parks and Recreation Department for more information at (972) 317-7430

Father and Daughter Valentine's Dance at Celebrations

Father Daughter Dance: February 13, 2009 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Tickets go on sale January 12, 2009 for residents ($18) and January 19, 2009 for nonresidents ($21). Come enjoy dinner and a rose, dancing and door prizes.                     Space is limited.  Dress Semi-Formal.
You may register in person at the Parks Department in City Hall, corner of Brazos Blvd. and Highland Village Rd. Feel free to contact the Parks and Recreation Department at 972-317-7430 with any questions.

Copperas Park and Pilot Knoll Day Use Passes go on sale for $35.00 for the month of January 2009 ONLY.

The passes will be sold for $50.00 beginning February 2009. These passes allow you to enter Copperas Park and Pilot Knoll Park for the day either to enjoy the park or to use the boat ramp. You may purchase the passes at the Parks Department in City Hall, corner of Brazos Blvd. and  Highland Village Rd.