Georgetown Utility Systems recognized nationally for reliability and safety
In April, Georgetown Utility Systems attained diamond level status under the American Public Power Association’s Reliable Public Power Provider program. This is the program’s highest level of recognition and is only awarded after a rigorous application process and outside review.
The RP3 designation recognizes public power utilities that demonstrate proficiency in four key disciplines: reliability, safety, workforce development, and system improvement. Criteria within each category are based on sound business practices and represent a utility’s commitment to safe and reliable delivery of electricity.
Glenn Dishong, Georgetown Utility Systems utility director, presented the RP3 recognition at the City Council meeting April 9. Georgetown is one of six public power providers in Texas to receive the diamond designation.
“Each of [the other diamond status utilities in Texas] are substantially larger than we are, and I think we should be proud that we were able to do that at our size,” Dishong said. “I want to congratulate all of the folks from the linemen to the engineering staff to technical services. … It’s all the work that everyone does every day participating in those four key pillars of the program that makes us what we are.”
In total, only 254 of the more than 2,000 public power utilities nationwide hold the RP3 designation. Levels of recognition include gold, platinum, and diamond. Georgetown Utility Systems had been a platinum designee since 2016.
During the council meeting, Mayor Dale Ross proclaimed April 18, 2019, as Lineman Appreciation Day in Georgetown in recognition of the work Georgetown Utility Systems lineman do 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to keep Georgetown’s electric system operating.
To learn more about Georgetown Utility Systems, go to gus.georgetown.org.
Early voting for City Council races begins April 22
Early voting starts Monday, April 22, for the City Council election in Georgetown. The early in-person voting period is April 22-27 and April 29-30. Election Day is May 4.
For voters in the City of Georgetown, the May 4 ballot includes elections for City Council Districts 3, 4 and 7. Incumbent John Hesser and Michael Triggs are on the ballot for District 3, incumbent Steve Fought and Joe Reedholm for District 4, and incumbent Tommy Gonzalez and Jaquita Wilson for District 7.
Georgetown City Council members serve three-year terms representing single-member districts. To see maps of council districts, go to maps.georgetown.org/council-district-maps.
For polling locations, dates, and times in the early voting period or on election day, go to www.wilco.org/elections.
Volunteers needed to make Red Poppy Festival a zero waste event
Each year, thousands of people attend Georgetown’s signature event, the Red Poppy Festival. And each year, attendees generate more than 10,000 pounds of waste. Last year, nearly 70 percent of the waste was diverted away from the landfill, either by composting or recycling.
In an ongoing effort to reduce the festival’s impact on the landfill, organizers are working to make the Red Poppy Festival a zero waste event. The City, in partnership with Texas Disposal Systems, is working to divert 90 percent of the waste away from the landfill.
To meet this goal, volunteers are needed at eco-stations located throughout the festival to help attendees place recycling, composting, and landfill materials in the appropriate containers. Volunteers are also needed to assist in picking up litter and educating people about the positive effects of diverting waste for reuse and recycling. No experience is needed and volunteers will receive a free Red Poppy Festival T-shirt.
Festival food vendors are already using compostable plates, dishes, straws, napkins, and cutlery. Composting and recycling stations will be available throughout the festival area. Attendees are encouraged to use the recycling and composting stations at the festival.
For more information and to sign-up to volunteer visit redpoppyfestival.com/volunteer.
About the festival
This signature festival on the Most Beautiful Town Square in Texas runs April 26-28 with live music, entertainment, family fun, food, and more than 120 arts and craft vendors.
The Friday night concert features Dysfunkshun Junkshun. Other festival highlights include the Red Poppy Parade on Saturday at 10 a.m., and the Car Show on Saturday at 11 a.m.
This year the City of Georgetown celebrates the 20th anniversary of Red Poppy Festival with special Saturday night headliner Texas Country music singer-songwriter Pat Green.
Council approves two-day watering schedule, new drought plan
City Council approved the first reading of amendments to two ordinances related to water conservation at its meeting Tuesday.
The changes update the City’s water use requirements ordinance to make the current two-day watering schedule for irrigation systems and hose-end sprinklers the permanent watering schedule.
The new, permanent two-day watering schedule for irrigation systems and hose-end sprinklers is based on the last digit of customers’ street address.
Address ends in: | May water these days: |
1, 5, 9 | Tue. and/or Fri. |
2, 4, 6, 8 | Wed. and/or Sat. |
0, 3, 7 | Thu. and/or Sun. |
The two-day schedule spreads watering over six days each week in order to balance demand on the water system. Irrigation is not permitted on Mondays. Monday is reserved as a recovery and maintenance day for the system.
Watering with an irrigation system or hose-end sprinkler should not be done between the hours of noon to 7 p.m. each day. Watering with hose-end sprinklers must comply with the new schedule. Use of a hand-held hose or bucket can be any day and at any time. Other outdoor water uses such as vehicle washing or filling a swimming pool can be done any day at any time.
Violations of the irrigation schedule may result in fines.
Drought Contingency Plan
A second ordinance change updated the city’s Drought Contingency Plan to reflect new triggers for additional watering restrictions based on drought conditions. Upon approval of the second reading, the plan calls for mandatory one-day per week watering schedule for all customers when certain triggers are met. Those triggers are tied to the City’s water treatment capacity, the volume of Lake Georgetown and Lake Stillhouse Hollow, and a variety of other factors. Council will hear the second reading at its April 23 meeting.
Rebates
The City is offering three new rebates for customers to improve the efficiency of their irrigation systems. Customers can receive $150 in rebates for each of the following programs: changing their irrigation system from a spray system to a drip system, converting spray nozzles to multi-stream nozzles, or installing a wi-fi enabled “smart” controller to help irrigation systems run more efficiently.
Please visit gus.georgetown.org/water/rebate for more information.
A reminder to all customers: #NoWateringMonday. Monday is a recovery day for the water treatment, storage, and distribution system.
Historic District development changes approved
Changes to the City’s development code related to structures in historic districts were approved on second reading by the City Council at their meeting on Tuesday. The new rules go into effect on April 24.
The process to make changes to the Unified Development Code related to historic structures started last summer. The City conducted surveys in September and October last year to get input from residents and those involved in the development process on the historic district rules. Earlier this year, the UDC Advisory Committee and the Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed the rules, listened to public input, and made recommendations about potential changes.
The new rules are for 1,677 houses and other structures identified in the 2016 Historic Resource Survey. Structures are designated in the survey as high-priority, medium-priority, or low-priority. The UDC requires approval for exterior modifications to structures identified on the survey. Most of these structures are in the Downtown or Old Town districts.
According to the revised rules approved by the City Council, approval of modifications for medium- and high-priority buildings in a historic district will continue to be reviewed by the Historic and Architectural Review Commission. Approval for low-priority buildings in a historic district will move from HARC to City Planning staff. One exception is that requests for demolition of low-priority structures inside a historic district will continue to be reviewed by HARC.
In addition, new single- and two-family residential structures in historic districts will now require approval from HARC.
The use of in-kind materials is permitted for low- and medium-priority structures. In-kind materials look like historic materials, but may be newly-made.
For the demolition of a high-priority structure outside a historic district, a 60-day hold will still apply and HARC will review the demolition application. For the demolition of a medium-priority structure outside a historic district, a 60-day hold will still apply and City Planning staff will review the demolition application. Demolition of a low-priority structure outside a historic district will no longer involve review by HARC or City Planning staff.
According to the new rules, HARC will continue to retain responsibility for final decisions. Overturning a HARC decision will require four votes at City Council. Previously, HARC appeals required five votes at City Council.
For more information about historic resources, the Historic Resource Survey, and the development process for historic structures, go to historic.georgetown.org.
GTX Residents: Free Spay/Neuter Clinic for Cats
Spring has sprung, and love is in the air in the animal world! The Georgetown Animal Shelter is holding the second of three free spay/neuter clinic for cats on April 27. The goal of the clinics is to reduce the cat population in Georgetown. This is the seventh year that the shelter has offered free spay/neuter clinics for cats to help manage overpopulation in Georgetown.
Spay and neuter surgeries and rabies vaccinations will be provided at no charge. Other services available at the clinic include a combo test (feline AIDS/leukemia test) for $20, an FVRCP vaccine for $5, microchip for $10, and e-collar for $10.
Appointments are required for the free clinics, which are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Cats or kittens must be at least three months old. The clinic is offered only for cats whose owners live in the city limits of Georgetown.
Additionally, the shelter continues to offer low-cost vaccine clinics every few months, which are walk-up clinics for vaccinations only (not spay/neuter surgeries). Dates for the shot clinics can be found at pets.georgetown.org/programs/low-cost-shots-and-neutering/.
Email animalsvc@georgetown.org or call (512) 930-3592 to schedule your cat for surgery. All spay or neuter surgeries will be done by a licensed veterinarian.
The spay and neuter clinic will be held at the City of Georgetown Animal Shelter at 110 W.L. Walden Drive near the McMaster Athletic Fields. Contact the shelter at (512) 930-3592 or by email at animalsvc@georgetown.org. The City of Georgetown Animal Shelter website is pets.georgetown.org.
Low Cost Shot Clinic for Pets May 25
The Georgetown Animal Shelter will conduct its next low-cost vaccination clinic of the year on Saturday, May 25, 8:30-11 a.m. The walk-in 13clinic is for cats and dogs. Help protect your pet from diseases they can pick up outside!
Pets may also get a FREE microchip with the purchase of any vaccine. No appointments. Cash or check only. The shelter is located at 110 Walden Dr., Georgetown, next to the McMaster Athletic Fields.
Dog Vaccines:
Rabies $5
DHPP Combo $10 (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parafluenza, Parvo)
Bordetella $5 (Kennel cough)
Cat Vaccines:
Rabies $5
FVRCP Combo $10 (Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, Panleukopenia)
All dogs must be on a leash and cats should be in a carrier. Payment is by cash or check only. (Debit or credit cards not accepted.)
The shelter has committed to offer several more low-cost clinics this fiscal year. The dates of the next clinics are:
- Saturday, July 27, 2019
- Saturday, September 21, 2019
- Saturday, November 16, 2019
The clinic will be held at the City of Georgetown Animal Shelter at 110 W.L. Walden Drive near the McMaster Athletic Fields. Contact the shelter at (512) 930-3592 or by email at animalsvc@georgetown.org. The City of Georgetown Animal Shelter website is pets.georgetown.org.
Last day to register to vote is April 4
The last day to register to vote in the May 4 election is Thursday, April 4.
To register in person, go to the Williamson County Elections office in Georgetown at this address:
Inner Loop Annex
301 S.E. Inner Loop, Ste. 104
Georgetown, TX 78626
The elections office will be open until 9 p.m. on April 4.
Registration forms can also be mailed to the above address if they are postmarked by the April 4 deadline. Download a registration form from the Williamson County Elections page at www.wilco.org/elections. Texas Voter Registration Application forms also are available at a number of locations including Georgetown City Hall, 808 Martin Luther King, Jr. St. and at the Georgetown Public Library, 402 W. Eighth St.
For voters in the City of Georgetown, the May 4 ballot includes elections for City Council Districts 3, 4 and 7. Incumbent John Hesser and Michael Triggs are on the ballot for District 3, incumbent Steve Fought and Joe Reedholm for District 4, and incumbent Tommy Gonzalez and Jaquita Wilson for District 7.
Georgetown City Council members serve three-year terms representing one of seven single-member districts. To see maps of council districts, go to maps.georgetown.org/council-district-maps.
Early in-person voting is April 22-27 and April 29-30. Election day is May 4.
For polling locations, dates, and times in the early voting period or on election day, go to www.wilco.org/elections.
Council, chamber work to help businesses affected by Atmos Energy gas leak
At its March 26 meeting, City Council approved waiving temporary sign permit fees for businesses affected by the Atmos Energy evacuation.
The waiver for temporary signs, including banners, will be in effect through Sept. 30. To date at least 67 businesses along the Williams Drive corridor have been affected by the gas leak evacuations. Each business will still need to make an application for temporary signs and follow the City’s standards for temporary signs, including placement and size.
Last Friday the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce sponsored a meeting for affected businesses to listen to concerns and ideas with representatives from the City, Williamson County, and Atmos Energy. The chamber has also created a webpage at georgetownchamber.org/williams-drive listing businesses affected by the evacuations. The list includes the current status of businesses along the Williams Drive corridor, including if they have been able to return to their location, are working from a temporary location, or are closed.
Atmos Energy continues work to remediate the effects of the underground gas leak that was found Feb. 20. That leak was repaired, but Atmos Energy continues to vent residual gas found underground. Last week, Mayor Dale Ross requested the state begin assessing the response to the residual gas remediation.
Currently, 62 homes evacuated and 59 businesses evacuated. Since March 15, eight businesses and 11 homeowners have been able to return to their places of business or homes.
Atmos has posted an updated FAQ page and evacuation map. The page also provides information about the claims process and actions Atmos is taking to resolve the issue of residual gas underground.
Why no disaster declaration for Atmos Energy evacuations?
The City of Georgetown has not declared a disaster during the current Atmos Energy situation. Disaster declarations give local officials the ability to exercise extraordinary powers, including providing liability protection to government agencies and emergency workers or to formally request general assistance from the state and federal governments.
“The City does not have oversight of pipeline safety,” said Mayor Dale Ross. “That role rests with the Texas Railroad Commission. Simply declaring a local disaster does not make new or different resources available that are not already being provided. The City is in regular contact with both Atmos and our partners at Williamson County and the State to ensure this evacuation is brought to resolution as safely as possible.”
“To further ensure a safe and expedient resolution, I have formally requested the Texas Department of Emergency Management to begin an assessment of this situation” said Mayor Ross. “Should the situation evolve, the City stands prepared to declare a disaster and call on additional resources from our fellow governmental agencies.”
During the current event Atmos Energy has made safety their top priority. Atmos Energy has provided hotel accommodations and food stipends for affected residents. The amount of these stipends is adjusted based on individual household needs. These accommodations far exceed what the City would be able to provide evacuees.
Atmos Energy has also paid claims to affected businesses, connected businesses with resources and facilities to continue their operations, and has committed to processing claims throughout the current evacuation and beyond. Atmos Energy has committed to ensuring the people affected by the evacuation are fully compensated for damages that result from this event. The City is also committed to connecting those businesses with resources and partners to ensure they are able to reopen quickly and successfully once the evacuation is lifted.
During the evacuation, Atmos has provided additional security from both private security contractors and off?duty police officers. Atmos and the City of Georgetown conduct daily calls to share updates, discuss repairs, assess needs, and determine the plan of action for the day.
The City of Georgetown has numerous departments providing support as needed to Atmos Energy. The City’s efforts are focused on ensuring the safety of the public, protecting property, and providing information. The City has consulted with Emergency Management officials with Williamson County, the State of Texas Division of Emergency Management, and the Texas Railroad Commission.
Background
Late on Wednesday, Feb. 20, Atmos Energy arrived on scene at 507 River Bend in Georgetown to repair an underground natural gas leak. The Georgetown Fire Department and Atmos Energy issued a precautionary evacuation of several residences and businesses in the River Bend area as a result of the initial leak ? which was repaired.
Since then, Atmos Energy has worked to remove residual gas from the ground. This removal process includes venting, vacuuming, evacuation and suction. Atmos Energy has also installed a series of vent wells and retained geologists to assist in these efforts. Dense clay, moisture, and the make?up of the soil has inhibited the evaporation of the gas.
As a safety precaution, Atmos has asked for evacuation in homes or commercial structures to evacuate if they detect an unsafe concentration of natural gas in or near a home or other structure. Atmos has requested electric service be disconnected if any measure of gas is detected inside a structure.