April 20, 2012
Here is the latest edition of Week In Review - a series of weekly messages from the Mayor and City Council to help Richardson residents and businesses keep up to date on events at City Hall. A list of links for stories in this edition is available at the bottom of the page.

Wildflower! and Cottonwood Nominated for D Magazine Awards 
Wildflower! Richardson's Arts and Music Festival and the Cottonwood Arts Festival are nominated for D Magazine’s 2012 Best of Big D Readers’ Choice awards. Community support will help to gain exposure throughout the Metroplex for two of Richardson’s major community events, and winners will be published in D Magazine’s August 2012 issue.

Voting in the Culture category begins Monday and runs through May 6. Visit www.dmagazine.com/bestofbigd2012 to cast your vote. Each person can vote once a day.

City to Unveil Huffhines Recreation Center Renewable Energy Project on Sunday
To commemorate Earth Day, the City will formally unveil the Huffhines Recreation Center Renewable Energy Project. A ribbon cutting is scheduled for 5 p.m. Sunday.

The project is expected to reduce the facility’s energy use by 10 percent and helped increase the recreation center’s certification to LEED Silver.

While the Huffhines Recreation Center already featured many eco-friendly design elements, the additional features will further reduce energy costs and will provide educational opportunities for schools and the community.

A grant from the 2009 Federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program allowed for installation of solar photovoltaic panels, a wind energy system, solar thermal hot water heating, electric vehicle charging stations and an educational kiosk.

The grant totaled more than $1 million and allowed the City to implement additional energy-saving initiatives such as installing energy monitoring systems at key City facilities, a LED lighting retrofit at the Eisemann Center parking garage, an LED street light pilot project and other HVAC and lighting enhancements.

Public Hearing on Proposed Council District Boundaries
A public hearing will be held in the Council Chambers at Richardson City Hall Tuesday, April 24 at 7 p.m. to receive community input on three options being considered for realignment of Richardson’s City Council district boundaries.

On January 30, the City Council appointed the City Plan Commission to serve as the Council District Boundary Commission. Since then, members have met biweekly to decide on district boundary criteria and to review options for new boundaries.

The April 24 hearing will allow commissioners to receive public input on the proposals. A City web page is available for members of the community to review the potential options in advance of the meeting.

The City Charter requires the election of seven City Council Members, four elected to “places” that correspond to geographic districts and three elected at-large. The Charter also requires that the City Council appoint a Redistricting Commission every 10 years (after the U.S. Census is complete) to review the district boundaries and ensure population equality. Current district boundaries must be realigned because population growth in some areas of the city has led to an imbalance in the population distribution among districts.

New district boundaries must be approved no later than July 30, 2012.

Click the link below for detailed redistricting information: 
http://www.cor.net/index.aspx?page=1565

Commuters Near Richardson/Murphy Border to be Impacted by Railroad Crossing Replacement Project
Weather permitting, the Texas Department of Transportation will close FM 2551 (Murphy Road) just north of FM 544 to allow the Kansas City Southern Railroad to re-plank its crossing at that location. The work will occur in Murphy, but Richardson commuters are cautioned to be prepared for traffic delays in the area along FM 544 and FM 2551.

Beginning at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, April 24, 2012 north and southbound Murphy Road will be closed and is scheduled to re-open no later than 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 25, 2012.

Streets that cross Murphy Road will remain open and businesses will be accessible up to the railroad crossing.

Cottonwood Art Festival Announces Emerging Artists
Sixteen high school artists have been selected for the Cottonwood Art Festival’s 2012 Emerging Artists program, which mentors students and encourages them to learn about exhibiting their artwork.

The artists’ work is on display at the Eisemann Center until April 29. Their art will also be exhibited at the spring Cottonwood Art Festival. The Emerging Artists program is sponsored by Neighborhood Credit Union.

The festival will take place May 5-6 at Cottonwood Park, 1321 W. Belt Line Rd. Festival hours have been extended this year, to 10 a.m.-8 p.m. May 5 and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. May 6. Parking and admission are free.

Click the link below for more information about this year’s Cottonwood Art Festival:
http://www.cottonwoodartfestival.com/

North Texas Municipal Water District Water Supply Plan
Even as North Texas recovers from a major drought, planners are working to bolster water supplies for the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD), which provides water to Richardson and other member- and customer-cities.

The NTMWD board has already taken actions to address both short- and long-term solutions to supply challenges, in addition to required conservation measures that are in place for residents and businesses. NTMWD Executive Director Jim Parks presented those plans to the City Council on Monday.

In the short term, the infestation with zebra mussels at Lake Texoma has made 28 percent of NTMWD’s water supply unavailable. In addition to implementing the Stage 3 Drought Contingency Plan, which includes once-weekly outdoor watering restrictions, NTMWD will purchase up to 60 million gallons per day of water from Dallas Water Utilities to partially relieve the loss from Lake Texoma. Major capital projects include a $300 million extension of the Texoma pipeline and a $65 million pump station to NTMWD wetlands, both of which are expected to be complete in fall 2013.

Also in the short term, NTMWD is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which owns and operates Lavon Lake, to reduce the amount of water allowed to flow out of the lake. Recent rain has raised the lake’s elevation above the stage required for water supply, and the lake level is now in what is called the “flood pool.” Holding approximately 10 inches of water in the flood pool would provide NTMWD approximately 35 more days of water supply as the hot summer months approach.

Long-term plans include construction of reservoirs including the Lower Bois d’Arc Creek Reservoir in Fannin County and Marvin Nichols Reservoir in East Texas, using additional water in Lake Texoma and building a pipeline to the Toledo Bend Reservoir. Those projects are included in the 2012 State Water Plan, which addresses needs over the next 50 years. The Lower Bois d’Arc Creek Reservoir is the first long-term strategy being pursued and is expected to be complete in 2020.

Click the links below to watch the City Council discussion:
http://richardsontx.swagit.com/e/04162012-618/#3
http://richardsontx.swagit.com/e/04162012-618/#4

 Cultural Arts Master Plan Discussed
The next phase of developing a Cultural Arts Master Plan is about to get under way, including interviews with key stakeholders, a review of best practices, a community survey and a public forum.

The master plan, which will be a guide to encourage the development of the arts community in Richardson, is being created by the Richardson Arts Commission and consultant Lord Cultural Resources Planning and Management. The City Council on Monday reviewed work done to date, including a needs assessment and a comprehensive review of the cultural arts environment in Richardson.

Among the key findings of that review are that Richardson is perceived by residents as excelling in the presentation of performing arts, that cultural life is valued for its focus toward families, that stronger collaboration is needed to reach the arts community’s potential, that residents desire more visual arts facilities in Richardson and that public spaces and public art present opportunities to create a cultural identity in the community.

A final Cultural Arts Master Plan is expected to be complete this summer.

The goal of the Richardson Arts Commission is to help create a vibrant and viable arts community in which diverse, high quality arts opportunities are available to Richardson residents and visitors. The City Council and the Arts Commission have a long history of supporting arts in the community, including distributing about $300,000 in grants each year to arts groups.

Click the link below to watch the City Council discussion:
http://richardsontx.swagit.com/e/04162012-618/#5

Senior Center Volunteer of the Year Award
Natalie Dwyer was named the Outstanding Older Texan of the Year by the Richardson Senior Center. She was chosen from a pool of 128 active volunteers who contribute more than a thousand hours per month to volunteer projects inside and outside the Center.

Dwyer was thanked particularly for her work keeping track of sales at the Robin’s Nest craft shop inside the Center, where the work of many senior citizens is sold each day.

 
Pictured from left are Richardson City Council Member Kendal Hartley, Mayor Bob Townsend, Natalie Dwyer and Council Members Mark Solomon and Amir Omar

Chamber of Commerce to Salute Bill Keffler at Monthly Luncheon
The Richardson Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon will feature friends and coworkers of retiring City Manager Bill Keffler, sharing stories and reflections on his 35 years of service to the City.

The luncheon will take place 11:15 a.m.-1:15 p.m. Thursday, May 3, in the Grand Hall of the Richardson Civic Center. Tickets are $35 for members and $50 for non-members.

Click the link below to purchase tickets to the luncheon: 
https://www.richardsonchamber.com/index.php?src=sba&srctype=geteventdetails&cale_id=952

League of Women Voters to Host Primary Candidate Meet and Greet
The League of Women Voters of Richardson and the RISD Council of PTAs will sponsor a "Meet and Greet the Candidates" event 7-8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 26, at the RISD Professional Development Center auditorium at 701 W. Belt Line Rd.

Republican and Democratic candidates for Texas Senate, Texas House, State Board of Education and Dallas County Commissioner whose districts are within the boundaries of the City and RISD have been invited to the event. Election Day is May 29.

At the forum, the League will provide a list of candidates running for each office in both parties’ primaries. Candidates will be briefly introduced, but they will not give prepared speeches from the podium. Audience members will be encouraged to circulate to the candidates’ assigned areas within the room so that they can speak directly to candidates and their representatives.

Click the link below for more information about the Meet and Greet event: 
http://lwvrichardson.org/meet.html 

Richardson Animal Shelter Pet of the Week
Meet the Richardson Animal Shelter’s Pet of the Week on the Shelter’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/RichardsonAnimalShelter. You’ll see details about the adoptable animal and find out how you can take the pet to your own home. The Shelter Facebook page also has photos of other animals available for adoption and information about upcoming events at the Shelter.

Banjo--Pet of the Week

Related Links
City Council videos: http://www.cor.net/index.aspx?page=752
City Council agenda: http://www.cor.net/index.aspx?page=1006
City Council meeting documents: http://www.cor.net/index.aspx?page=1329

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