Jan. 5, 2024

This 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 municipal events. If you would like to sign up to receive this in a weekly e-mail click here.

Throughout the year, the City Council or City Plan Commission will hold meetings on topics of significant interest to local neighborhoods or the community in general. Links to view all City Council or City Plan Commission meeting documents that may have topics of interest to you can be found here:

City Council | City Plan Commission

Sense Deep Space in Newest Eisemann Center Exhibit 
Technology and art will come together in an “out of this world,” free public exhibit Jan. 7-Feb. 4 at the Eisemann Center thanks to the Eisemann Edge Initiative at Communities Foundation of Texas. The installation, entitled, “Sensing Deep Space: Pandora’s Cluster,” enables visitors to take a multisensory deep dive into a cluster of galaxies located 4 billion light-years away. (See below under Arts/Culture for date/time/ticketing information.)   

This is the third installation of the Eisemann Edge Initiative, a program created in 2019 thanks to an endowment fund set up by local philanthropists Charles Eisemann and the late Ann Eisemann to encourage the growth of tech-based arts internationally. Past projects included 2020’s “MotherBoard” and 2022’s “20 Years in 20 Minutes.”   

“Sensing Deep Space” is the collaborative work of a team of artists, scientists and technicians coordinated by Houston nonprofit SciArt Exchange, including staff and students from UT Dallas’ Physics Department and the UT Dallas Bass School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology’s ArtSciLab. Additional support provided by the Richardson Cultural Arts Commission and the City of Richardson.  

Website: SciArt Exchange - Home 
Website: ArtSciLab (utdallas.edu) 

“It’s Time Texas” Community Fitness Challenge Begins Monday; Time to Sign Up 
The 2024 “It’s Time Texas” Community Challenge begins in a few days, and the City of Richardson will again be joining more than 20,000 Texans across 300 communities for the annual health and fitness event. Individuals and organizations are encouraged to sign up for the free, eight-week challenge that takes place Jan. 8-March 3 and win prizes while earning points for completing healthy individual actions such as working out, logging water intake and eating healthy meals.    

People who sign up on behalf of their city also earn points for their community with every healthy action they submit. Last year, participants helped Richardson place fourth in the Large Community category, besting 30 other cities.  

Register here. After registering, you will be e-mailed a link to download the app.

Rec Centers Offering Discounted Memberships This Month 
Richardson recreation centers are offering 20 percent off all annual recreation memberships purchased during the month of January, to help start your healthier habits and kick start the It’s Time Texas Community Challenge (see above). Memberships are available at Huffhines and Heights Recreation Centers and the Richardson Senior Center.  

Adult recreation center memberships usually cost $60 per year for residents and $120 for nonresidents and are valid at all City recreation facilities (including the Senior Center for ages 55 and up) for one year from the date of purchase and allow access to each center’s cardio fitness area/weight room. Huffhines and Heights Recreation Centers also offer a full-sized gym, game room, free WiFi, sauna and locker rooms.  

Additionally, Senior Center-only memberships are available with fees starting at $25 for residents and $50 for nonresidents per year. The Senior Center includes a fitness room, billiards and game area; memberships also include access to certain programs, classes and services.  

Sign up online: www.cor.net/parksonline 

Applications Open Monday for Student Art, Essay Contests 
Submissions for the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Essay Contest and Black History Month Art Contest open New Year’s Day. The contests are held in partnership with Richardson ISD, Plano ISD and UT Dallas and help highlight community diversity and inclusion.  

Each contest is open to students who reside in Richardson or attend school in Richardson—eligible grade levels vary by contest. The deadline for essay contest entries is Jan. 31 and deadline for art contest entries closes Feb. 29. Rules and applications for each may be found online.  

Winners in each age category will receive $200 and will be recognized at a future City Council meeting. 

Website: www.cor.net/ArtandEssayContest 

Applications Open for New City Commission, Committee 
Applications opened this week for the City’s two newest advisory groups: the Community Inclusion and Engagement Commission and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. The two were recently created by the City Council and will serve in an advisory role. The application period runs through Jan. 31, and both groups will hold their first meetings in April.   

Community Inclusion and Engagement Commission 
This commission will be representative of Richardson’s diverse community and will advise the City Council on matters pertaining to advancing harmony in the community, encouraging inclusion and participation by all stakeholders, and furthering the City’s engagement and outreach on issues such as diversity, inclusion, engagement and accessibility. 

Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee 
This committee will provide recommendations to the City Council on bicycle and pedestrian plans, policies, programs and projects to achieve the goals of the City’s Active Transportation Plan (ATP).  

Membership Eligibility 

Community Inclusion and Engagement Commission Application: Community Inclusion and Engagement Commission | Richardson, TX (cor.net) 
Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee Application: Boards and Commissions Application (cor.gov) 
Questions/Assistance: Call 972-744-4292; E-mail AskRichardsonCitySecretary@cor.gov  

Altrusa Scholarship Applications Open 
Altrusa International of Richardson has begun accepting applications for its annual scholarships. The scholarships are available to high school seniors planning to attend colleges/universities, community colleges or vocational training programs. Applicants must reside in the City of Richardson or attend an RISD school, and recipients will be selected based on scholastic achievement, financial need, community volunteerism, extracurricular activities and a short essay. Scholarships must be used for the next school year and will be sent directly to the school.   

Applications are available at the Altrusa Richardson website and are due Friday, Feb. 16 at 4 p.m.   

In addition to the scholarships, Altrusa Richardson provides support to many local agencies including the Richardson Public Library, Richardson Animal Shelter, RISD and Network of Community Ministries. It also helps make the Richardson Reads One Book event possible.    

Website: www.altrusarichardson.com   

Construction Work Continues on Waterview Pkwy Near UT Dallas 
Various lanes of northbound and southbound Waterview Parkway between Synergy Park Boulevard and Frankford Road may be closed to traffic alternately from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. as curbs, signs, and landscaping are put in place, associated with the DART Silver Line crossing. The work is expected to be complete by early March. 

Several Closures Expected for Fiber Optic Work 
Fiber optic cable placement work will affect a variety of street segments and intersections over the next few months. Closures are expected from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at the following locations, with work expected to wrap up by early April:  

www.cor.net/projects

Three-Day Wildflower! 2024 Tickets Now on Sale 
Weekend ticket packages for the 2024 Wildflower! Arts & Music festival, to be held May 17-19, went on sale online this week, part of several new Wildflower! ticket promotions that will roll out over the next few months. General admission, three-day ticket packages are $40 through Jan. 31, a savings of $35 off the regular price. The “Friends of the Festival” VIP package, a three-day ticket package that includes several perks, is available for $400.  

General admission three-day packages include one ticket for each day of the festival, general admission seating at all stages and unlimited re-entry to the festival each day.  

VIP packages give festival goers the “rockstar treatment” and include:  

Kids ages 12 and younger are admitted free with the purchase of any general admission or VIP ticket.  

Ticket link: Tickets | WIldflower! Arts & Music Festival (wildflowerfestival.com) 

IQ Brew Next Thursday
IQHQ, 1302 E. Collins Blvd.
Admission: Free (click here to RSVP)
Thursday, Jan. 11
9-10 a.m. with coffee beginning at 8:30 a.m. 

Learn about the fascinating journey of 101 Media from its co-founders, Kara Cecala and Lily KT Smith, tracing its humble beginnings as a small business on Instagram to its exponential growth and transformation into a significant player in the media industry.

Lunchtime Lecture: Today’s New Texas 
Millwood Creek Room at the Library, 2360 Campbell Creek Blvd., Ste. 500
Admission: Free
Tuesday, Jan. 9
11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.  

Author Rusty Williams will profile ten largely unsung men and women responsible for the Texas you know today. Attendees are welcome to bring a lunch.   

Sign Ups Open for DIY Sharpie Pencil Bag Workshop Next Saturday 
Millwood Creek Room at the Library, 2360 Campbell Creek Blvd., Ste. 500
Admission: Free (registration is required; call 972-744-4395)
Saturday, Jan. 13
10:30 a.m.-noon 

Need a place for your pens, makeup, or travel necessities? Doodle with Sharpies to personalize a canvas bag to hold whatever you need.  

For adults and teens. 

At the Eisemann Center:

• “Sensing Deep Space: Pandora’s Cluster” Begins Sunday 

  Bank of America Hall 
  Tickets: Free (reserve your space through Eisemann ticket office here)
  Jan. 7-Feb. 4
  Enter and exit anytime 1-7 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and 1-5 p.m. Sundays  

  Get an up close and personal look at Pandora’s Cluster, a galactic collision of several galaxy clusters located approximately 4 billion light-years away, through this “spellbinding” installation that incorporates cutting-edge technologies in a multisensory experience. Using images captured via the James Webb Space Telescope along with a soundtrack created by audiovisual artist and composer Ben Heim, the exhibit enables visitors to traverse the untraversable and “touch” space through the marriage of artistry and science.

• Pegasus Theatre’s “Death Express!” On Stage through Jan. 21 
  Bank of America Theatre 
  Tickets: $14-$44 (tickets) 
  Through Jan. 21
  8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, with 2 p.m. matinees Saturdays-Sundays   

  Pegasus Theatre is back at the Eisemann Center with its latest Harry Hunsacker adventure, presented in Pegasus’ trademarked Living Black & White technique. The madcap mystery finds Harry and his paid-by-the-hour friend and assistant, Nigel Grouse, trapped on a train bound for murder. Please note that due to the special effects in this performance, the theater is held at a cool temperature; audiences are advised to dress warmly.   
   
  Funded in part by the Richardson Cultural Arts Commission.     

www.cor.net/EPI

Pet of the Week
Meet Tank! This 4-year-old pitbull/lab mix is as sweet as can be. He loves strolls, playtime and sitting on your lap. Tank would thrive with an active family who can give him the love and attention he craves. Visit us to meet Tank today and give him the forever home he deserves!  

For information about animals available for adoption, visit the Animal Shelter’s web page here.

City Council Links