City Connections - July Edition

Water Use Conservation - PHASE ONE – SEASONAL CONSERVATION IN EFFECT NOW

WANT TO SAVE WATER BY THE YARD?

• Check the setting on your irrigation system, set to water only 1 inch a week
• Walk the system checking for leaks, repair any leaks found
• Don’t water during any form of precipitation
• Turn water off when water begins to run off the property

Water Your Landscape Wisely

 

A common misconception is that you must water your lawn daily or every other day.  The truth is, daily watering will WEAKEN your lawn.  Water deeply and infrequently.  Don’t be waterless, water less, water smart.

Mosquito Prevention is the Best Solution

Mosquito season is here!  City staff will be monitoring mosquito updates for the Denton County area.  Here are some tips to help prevent mosquito breeding habitat. 

• Empty out standing water from idle containers.
• Flower pots
• Buckets
• Cups, dog bowls
• Clean bird baths regularly.
• Clean out leaves & standing water from French Drain systems

Backflow Prevention

 

Did you know the City has an ordinance for backflow prevention? The ordinance is designed to protect the water supply from contamination & pollution due to backflows and cross connections. Responsibilities of owners:

• Thermal expansion is prohibited.
• Dual source connections are prohibited.
• Cross connections are prohibited.
• Backflows into the City water mains are prohibited.

Become CPR Certified!  Learn to Save a Life!

 

The Highland Village Fire Department conducts monthly CPR for our residents and neighboring communities.  Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) for Adults, Infants and Children and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) training are provided in this course. CPR classes will be held on Wednesday, July 7, Wednesday, August 4 and Wednesday, September from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. CPR costs are $25 for residents of Highland Village and $45 for non-residents. Class size is limited, please sign-up early! Please contact the Highland Village Fire Department at (972) 317-0890 to register.

Want to volunteer? We can use your expertise!

There are many volunteer opportunities for the City of Highland Village.  In September, Council appoints volunteers to the various Boards, Commissions and Committees to serve two-year terms. By serving as a volunteer on one of the City’s Boards, Commissions or Committees, you will contribute to the growth and development of Highland Village. As a volunteer your expertise and recommendations will be utilized by City Council and City Staff to shape the future of Highland Village. You will also benefit from learning how the City operates and forms policy. In order to be considered you must fill out a volunteer application. For more information on how you can serve your city or to fill out a volunteer application, look at Volunteer Opportunities under the Quick Links menu at www.highlandvillage.org or call the City Secretary at 972-899-5132.
Please return your completed application by July 30.

HOA's - Do We Have Your Contact Info?

The City Secretary's Office maintains a database of homeowner associations and their officers and board members. We would like to make sure we have the current information for your homeowner association. The contact information is shared with businesses, potential residents and real estate companies. Please call Diane Callahan at 972.899.5132 or e-mail dcallahan@highlandvillage.org to update your contact information.

What Are Your Future Transportation Needs?

In March, DCTA initiated an update to the Authority’s Service Plan in an effort to better outline future transportation needs and the DCTA’s future service priorities. DCTA is seeking input into this plan with surveys to better understand how and where people currently travel and how and where they will travel in the future.  Survey teams will be stationed throughout the county gathering information from residents over the coming months. If you don’t have an opportunity to participate in person, please participate in the online survey at DCTAsurvey.info.  After all, your future is riding on it.

Water Safety – Is About Saving Lives

Swimming Safety Tips

• Never swim alone
• Do not dive into a lake—whether from a boat, bridge or shore
• Keep a watchful eye on children at all times
• Swim in designated areas
• Have young children or inexperienced swimmers wear life jackets around water, but don’t rely on them alone.
• If you have a pool, secure it with appropriate barriers.  Many children who drown in home pools were out of sight for less than 5 minutes and in the care of one or both parents.
• Learn basic non-swimming rescue techniques
  

Boating Safety Tips

• Wear a life jacket
• Avoid alcohol.  Don’t drink and drive a boat
• Keep clear of swimmers and designated swimming areas
• Be especially careful on personal watercrafts.
• Children under 13 must wear a life jacket while underway.
• Don’t overload your boat.
• Operate at a safe speed.
• Always have a passenger help serve as a lookout.
• Watch out for low water areas or submerged objects.
• Be courteous; don’t create a noise nuisance with loud radios.
•  Obey the 50-foot rule!  Maintain a 50-foot distance from other PWC’s, vessels, persons, shore, or stationary platform or other object unless operating at headway (idle) speed.
• Check and heed weather forecasts

Know the Facts-Don’t Become another Statistic

• Nationwide, more than 800 people lose their lives in boating accidents each year.
• Nearly 9 out of 10 of these victims were not wearing a life jacket.
• More than 4,500 people are injured each year in boating accidents.
• Approximately $29 million in property damages are attributed on an annual basis to boating accidents.
• Alcohol is involved in over 50% of these accidents.
• Nearly all drownings occur within 10 feet of safety.
• Non-swimmers often drown because of poor judgment, for example wading in non-designated area or relying on an inflatable device that is not Coast Guard approved.

“Pet Peeves”

The summer months can be unbearably hot not just for you but for your pets especially.  Take extra care in the summer to make sure they have plenty of water and shade if they are outside.  We all love our pets and would like to take them with us when we run to the store.  But leaving pets in the car while you shop is extremely dangerous to the health and life of your pet.  The temperature in the car continues to climb the longer you are gone.  Keep in mind that they wear a fur coat.  So imagine yourself sitting in a car on a hot day in a fur coat.  And the longer you sit there the hotter it gets.  Do the best thing for your pet:  Leave them at home!

Kids Kamp

Highland Village Parks and Recreation Department has planned a summer for your children they will never forget. Join us in the mornings for organized games and activities and then stick around in the afternoon for field trips you won’t find offered by any other kamp out there! Field trips are taken 4 out of 5 days a week weather permitting. Each participant will receive two free T-shirts and additional T-shirts can be purchased for ten dollars each.  Our kamps are scheduled weekly so you can customize your summer activities. Please see our tentative field trip schedule at www.highlandvillage.org

Kamp starts June 14 and ends August 13
Morning Kamp 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. $65 per week
Afternoon Kamp 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. $95 per week
All Day 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. $160 per week
Age: 6-12 years of age
Location: Briarhill Middle School

Please call the Parks and Recreation Department at 972-317-7430 for more information.

Senior All-Stars

Choctaw Casino
Wednesday, July 21 and August 18
Register by the Monday before the trip. 
Cost is $5, includes $10 Casino play money, and a $5 food coupon.   
The bus leaves from the Copperas Branch Park for the July trip and the City of Highland Village Municipal Complex for the August trip.

23rd Annual Lion’s Club Balloon Festival
August 20-22, 2010

Balloon glow on Friday and Saturday evening at dusk. This year there will be a full carnival and rides. Arts and crafts will be for sale along with food and drink vendors. Please bring $5 for a parking donation, but admission for the festival is free! Visit www.hvballoonfest.org for more information and a detailed schedule of all the events!

 

Give us your Best Shot! A Summer Photo Contest

 

Get outdoors and take your camera with you. The City of Highland Village is excited to announce a photo contest that will run the over the summer months. Look for contest details in the summer edition of The Villager
and on the city website at www.highlandvillage.org.