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Founders Park Open House on May 4
An open house meeting on proposed improvements for Founders Park will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 4. The meeting is at Founders Park, at the northwest corner of the intersection of S. Church Street and Ninth Street. The park is behind Grace Heritage Center, 811 S. Main Street.
At the open house meeting, proposed design options will show potential elements and enhancements, including possible play elements, sculpture pads, public seating, and retaining wall treatments. Staff will be on hand to discuss the park’s history, as well as answer any questions attendees may have. Public input is invited and encouraged. Additionally, an online survey will be available to collect input on design options. A second public meeting will be scheduled in the summer to present the final design developed based on the public’s feedback.
Renovation work on Founders Park is expected to begin in late 2016. Additional improvements include tree plantings, a water fountain, and improved sidewalks.
Founders Park is the site where Williamson County’s first commissioners met under an oak tree in 1848 to choose a location for the county seat. George Washington Glasscock offered to donate the land he owned jointly with his business partner Thomas B. Huling. The land was bounded by the oak tree at one corner and the San Gabriel River to the north and west. The oak tree was felled by a storm in 1886, but the park remains an important reminder of Georgetown’s history.
Shotgun House Renovation Work
Repair work on the Shotgun House at 801 West Street will begin on May 9. The work on the historic structure coincides with Preservation Month, which is celebrated each year in May.
The Georgetown Cultural Citizen Memorial Association holds educational events at the Shotgun House about the history of the African American community in Georgetown. The structure is representative of the types of homes that were common in African American neighborhood known as the Ridge that is west of the downtown Square.
Repairs to the Shotgun House include replacing some of the deteriorating siding around the outside of the building, door and screen door repair, minor roof repairs, and a complete exterior paint job to match the current green color. Repairs are expected to be completed in three months.
The City purchased the property in 1996 and it opened as a museum in 2002, following a 2001 restoration project.
Red Poppy Festival in Downtown Georgetown April 22 – 24
The 17th annual Red Poppy Festival on the downtown Square in Georgetown is this weekend on April 22 – 24. The biggest annual festival on the Most Beautiful Town Square in Texas starts on Friday night with three days of music, entertainment, and family fun.
Tracy Lawrence is the headliner at the Saturday night street dance and Kimberly Dunn starts the concert on Saturday night. The Friday night concert features Dysfunkshun Junkshun. There is no admission charge for the concerts or other festival activities such as the car show, parade, children’s area, or vendor booths. Bring your own chair if you are coming to listen to the music.
Other festival highlights include the Red Poppy Bike Ride on Saturday at 8 a.m., the Red Poppy 5k run on Saturday at 9 a.m., the Red Poppy Parade on Saturday at 10 a.m., and the Car Show on Saturday at 11 a.m. On Sunday, don’t miss the BMX Pros doing amazing tricks on bikes at 12:30, 2:30, and 4:30 p.m. Come to watch and participate in the One-in-the-Hole ball drop with 28,000 ping pong balls on Sunday at 2 p.m.
The Red Poppy Kid’s Fun Zone is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. The Fun Zone includes an obstacle course, a huge slide, a bounce house, a basketball game and a toddler playground.
The Red Poppy Festival is on track to become a Zero Waste event by 2021, which means that 90 percent of the waste from the event is recycled or composted. Food vendors are using only compostable plates, dishes, drinking straws, napkins, and cutlery and recyclable cups. Look for recycling and composting eco-stations and help the festival to become Zero Waste. You can start by bringing your own reusable shopping bags from home.
Winners of the Red Poppy Taste Awards, a cooking competition featuring foods with poppy seeds will be announced on stage during the Saturday night concert.
For a full schedule and all the details, go to RedPoppyFestival.com.
The official 2016 Red Poppy Festival poster is on sale for $5 each at the Visitor Center at 103 W. Seventh Street. T-shirts are available at the festival.
Where are the poppies? For a map showing the locations of red poppies in Georgetown, stop by the Visitors Center at 103 W. Seventh Street. (Or see an online map at poppy.georgetown.org/things-to-do/red-poppy-tour.)
Street Closures
Austin Avenue closes Friday morning: Starting at 6 a.m. on Friday, April 22, Austin Avenue will be closed from Sixth to Ninth streets. Traffic will be detoured to Rock Street. (This is to allow the placement of the main festival stage.) Austin Avenue will be closed through Sunday at 11 p.m.
Other streets around the Courthouse Square will close at 6 a.m. on Friday, April 22 to allow for vendor set-up. Streets around the Square will remain closed through Sunday at 11 p.m. An expanded street closure area will be in effect on Saturday from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. (noon) for the Red Poppy Parade. To see the parade route, go to poppy.georgetown.org/things-to-do/parade. Detailed street closure information can be found at poppy.georgetown.org/about.
Free Shuttle on Saturday
A free shuttle will run on Saturday, April 23 from 9 a.m. to midnight. The shuttle will pick up and drop off passengers at the First Baptist Church located at 1333 W. University Avenue. The drop-off location is at the corner of Austin Avenue and Ninth Street.
Event Parking
The Williamson County parking garage at Rock Street and Fourth Street and the public parking lot on Austin Avenue between Fifth and Fourth Streets (next to Monument Cafe) will be open during the festival. Public parking lots on Martin Luther King, Jr. Street at W. Eighth Street and at W. Sixth Street are also available. There is no charge for parking.
Handicap parking is available at the parking lot at 10th and Main streets.
The City parking lot at Sixth and Main streets will be closed starting at 6 a.m. on Friday, April 22.
For a full schedule and all the details, go to RedPoppyFestival.com.
Georgetown Utility Systems Receives National Recognition for Reliability and Safety
Georgetown Utility Systems has been recognized recently in two national recognition programs by the American Public Power Association, which represents more than 2,000 public power utilities in the U.S.
Georgetown was one of 29 electric utilities in the nation to earn Reliable Public Power Provider, or RP3 status this month. Georgetown earned the platinum level recognition for providing reliable and safe electric service to its customers. The recognition was based on a review of the electric utility operations by a panel of 18 experts from across the nation.
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-wide commitment to safe and reliable delivery of electricity. In total, 219 of the more than 2,000 public power utilities nation-wide hold the RP3 designation.
“RP3 utilities stand out as industry leaders, who dedicate themselves to providing safe and reliable electricity to their customers,” said Brent McKinney, an electric utility director in Springfield, Missouri and chair of RP3 review panel for APPA. “These designees demonstrate public power’s commitment to constantly improving best practices and raising the bar for other service providers.” McKinney presented the RP3 honors on April 4 during APPA conference in Minneapolis.
Glenn Dishong, utility director for Georgetown Utility Systems, presented the RP3 recognition at the City Council meeting on Tuesday. “There are eight utilities in Texas that are now recognized as Reliable Public Power Providers. There are three recognition levels, gold, platinum, and diamond. Georgetown Utility Systems is platinum—better than gold,” said Dishong.
In addition to the RP3 honor, the Georgetown electric utility also won a safety award at the APPA meeting. The award is based on an annual evaluation of utility’s safety program.
“Our results are that we had 78,000 exposure hours—that means 78,000 hours that the linemen are out there working in a high-voltage environment, and still coming back safe, said Dishong. “We had no incidents. We actually took first place.”
This year 107 utilities nationwide were recognized for the Safety Award of Excellence by APPA.
Georgetown Utility Systems employees are pictured above.
Georgetown Utility Systems will provide 100 percent renewable energy by 2017. Currently more than 90 percent of the city’s energy needs are provided by a wind power contract. To learn more about Georgetown Utility Systems, go to gus.georgetown.org.
Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on April 30
To help protect the water supply and reduce household risks, bring unwanted medications to Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, April 30 in Georgetown. Drugs that are expired or unused will be collected—no questions asked—from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Sun City Legacy Hills Park Pavilion, 200 Del Webb Boulevard and the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, 508 S. Rock Street.
One goal of the free collection of unwanted medications is to keep them from being poured down the drain or flushed down a toilet. Pharmaceuticals that are put in our wastewater system can affect water quality in our creeks, rivers, and lakes.
Removing unwanted medications from your home also reduces risks of accidental overdose or intentional use of prescription drugs by children or visitors in your home.
The Take-Back Day is part of a nation-wide effort of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to reduce the risk of unwanted medications in our homes. Local partners in the Drug Take-Back Day include the Georgetown Police Department, LifeSteps Council on Alcohol and Drugs, Williamson County EMS, and the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.
Medications that are dropped off should be in their original containers, if possible. Drugs brought to the drop-off may include expired or unwanted over-the-counter and controlled medicines, drugs prescribed for pets, medicines from deceased family members, or unknown tablets and capsules. Items not accepted include sharps (needles and syringes), mercury thermometers, IV bags, personal care products, and medical equipment.
The collection is for individual households. Medications cannot be accepted from businesses such as nursing homes, doctor’s offices, or other institutions or businesses.
For more information, call LifeSteps at (512) 246-9880 or visit the DEA website at www.dea.gov.
Suicide and Crime Victims Support Groups
This month, in cooperation with Georgetown Police Department Victim Services, The Christi Center, a non-profit grief support center, will be starting a meeting for those who have lost a loved one to suicide. In January, The Christi Center began offering a Georgetown support group for those who have lost a loved one to crime. Both of these groups meet from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month.
The next Crime Victim’s group and first Loss to Suicide group will be April 21 in the Georgetown Community Resource Center at 805 W. University Avenue in Georgetown. If you plan to attend, please call The Christi Center at (512) 467-2600 for a brief intake conversation prior to your first meeting. Or if you need more information, contact the Georgetown Police Department Victim Services at (512) 930-2595 and ask for Anthony Rector.
The Christi Center is a non-profit grief support center providing support services to Central Texans for over 28 years. The Christi Center’s mission is to provide hope after the death of a loved one by providing support networks, community education and therapeutic activities that are free, peer-based, and ongoing.
GTX Residents: Free Spay/Neuter for Cats
The Georgetown Animal Shelter is conducting the second of three free spay/neuter clinic for cats on April 30. The goal of the clinics is to reduce the cat population in Georgetown. This is the fifth year that the shelter has offered free spay/neuter clinics for cats, and it seems to be making a difference in the number of kittens ending up at the shelter.
Spay and neuter surgeries and a rabies vaccination 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, e-collar for $10, pain medication for $5, or cat carrier for $5.
Appointments are required for the free clinics, which are offered on a first-come, first-served basis and are not necessarily for low-income cat owners. Cats or kittens must be at least three months old.
The clinic is offered only for cats whose owners live in the Georgetown City Limits, so bring your driver’s license or other form of ID that shows your current address.
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). Click here for info on low-cost veterinarians who might provide low-cost neutering and spaying.
Call (512) 930-3592 to schedule your cat for surgery. All spay or neuter surgeries will be done by a licensed veterinarian. The third free spay/neuter clinic for cats will be June 25.
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.
Red Poppy Art on the Square April 4 – May 5
Attendees at Georgetown’s 2016 Red Poppy Festival on April 22 to 24 will enjoy an outdoor art installation of thousands of deep red ceramic poppies by artist Jen Rose. The poppies will blanket the west lawn of the Williamson County Courthouse in Georgetown’s downtown Square. The piece, entitled Blood of Heroes Never Dies, commemorates Texas World War I veterans and it will be on display from April 4 through May 5.
Individual poppies will be available for purchase for $10 apiece at the Visitors Center, 103 W. Seventh Street on the Square. Proceeds will benefit Puppies Behind Bars, a nonprofit organization that provides service dogs for combat veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan who have suffered a physical injury, including traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Blood of Heroes Never Dies was a collaboration between artist Jen Rose and Clive Siegle, a history faculty member; both teach at Richland College in Dallas. The original installation included 5,171 ceramic red poppies installed on the campus of Richland College for Veterans Day 2015 as reminders of the 5,171 veterans from Texas who died in World War I. The Georgetown installation will include about 4,000 poppies “planted” by volunteers.
Henry Purl Compton (nicknamed Okra) helped Georgetown to become the Red Poppy Capital of Texas when his service as a corporal in the Army during World War I ended and in 1919 poppy seeds he collected in northern France were planted in the yard of his mother’s home on Seventh Street in Georgetown.
The poppies installation on the Williamson County Courthouse lawn is on loan by the artist, Jen Rose. The display is co-sponsored by the City of Georgetown Arts and Culture, the City of Georgetown Convention and Visitors Bureau, Williamson County, and The Williamson Museum.
Street Sealant Work Update
Updated, March 23: The application of street sealant in Sun City remains suspended. Transportation Department staff are working with the product manufacturer to identify the reasons for tracking in recent applications. The street sealant product is used to fill small cracks and prevent oxidation of the road surface to extend the pavement life.
Transportation Department crews along with Ergon, the product manufacturer, are conducting tests in a vacant subdivision near Interstate 35 to help identify issues leading to the product’s tracking.
The recent tracking of the sealant in Sun City is the result of the latest applications not performing as they have in the past. Tracking is occurring mostly on warm days as the pavement temperatures reach 100 degrees. Staff have shared this issue with Ergon and requested a plan of action to prevent further tracking. Ergon’s recommendation is to apply and roll in dry “blotter sand” to prevent tracking. The sand should adhere to the remaining surface and provide a barrier between the surface and tires. The City’s contract engineer has suggested following a typical TxDOT maintenance procedure for applying the sand. It shall be applied with a truck-mounted sand spreader and rolled in with a pneumatic roller. Once rolled, the sand will be immediately picked up using the City’s vacuum sweeper. A black sand will be utilized to blend with the existing road surface. This application should be performed during the warm part of the day when “bleeding” is active. Staff performed this procedure on a small area with promising results.
Staff have prepared the necessary equipment to implement the manufacturer’s suggestions as specified. The weather forecast for the next seven to 10 days is not predicting the warm conditions that caused the bleeding over the past two weeks. Tracking has subsided somewhat and staff expects the product to continue to harden and cure in the upcoming cooler days. Staff continues to monitor the pavement conditions. When warm temperatures return, crews will be ready to implement the sanding procedure if necessary starting in the most egregious areas first. All asphalt roadways transfer some level of material as they are petroleum based. To minimize tire rubber and product tracking, residents should refrain from sharp turns into and on driveways.
Staff have been successfully removing the product from driveways upon request for the past three weeks. To prevent possible damage, requests for repeated additional cleaning will be deferred until the product has stabilized and tracking has stopped. Touch-ups also will be deferred until the product tracking issues are identified and corrected.
No further street sealant applications are scheduled at this time.
Austin Avenue Bridges Public Meeting on March 31
The City of Georgetown is initiating a public involvement process for the Austin Avenue Bridges Project. The first public meeting will be held on Thursday, March 31 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Georgetown Public Library, 402 W. Eighth Street. This is the first of a series of meetings planned to engage and involve the public in the project for the bridges that span the north and south forks of the San Gabriel River just north of the downtown Square.
The purpose of this project is to develop a long-term plan for the Austin Avenue Bridges by evaluating possible alternatives to address safety, community, and mobility needs, ultimately developing a preferred alternative for the bridges. The bridges were constructed in 1939 and have exceeded their design life. Deterioration has occurred over time and will continue with increased traffic in the area.
This study will evaluate a number of alternatives including short- and long-term solutions. The study will balance considerations such as safety, historical significance, cost, impacts to property owners and businesses, and multi-modal access including connections to San Gabriel Park. These alternative analyses, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act, will include, at a minimum, no action, provide alternative route(s), maintenance, rehabilitation, and replacement.
The City recognizes the importance of working closely with the community throughout this project to identify solutions that the community values. Public input will be collected and incorporated in each phase of the study.
“City staff and our elected officials recognize the value these bridges have for the community in terms of providing safe travel in and out of our downtown,” says Nat Waggoner, Austin Avenue Bridges Project manager for the City. “The question is, how do we preserve our history and support this corridor as a gateway to our thriving retail stores and businesses, both today and in the future. We have a big task ahead to determine the best solution that supports those quality of life issues for our community. Working with the public and downtown property owners to collect input is a major part of this project.”
This is the first of four public meetings planned. The project team also is available for small meetings with individuals during the project. The Austin Avenue Bridges Project public involvement process began in January and is anticipated to be complete before the end of the year.
All project materials and public meeting materials will be available online on the Transportation website. Throughout the project there will be opportunities for the public to share comments and offer input.
