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Election for Council District 3 in May
Georgetown voters in District 3 will elect their representative on the City Council in May. Incumbent John Hesser and Dwaine Boydstun are on the ballot for the District 3 election.
April 7 is the last day to register to vote before the May election. Early in-person voting for District 3 is April 25 through May 3. Election Day is May 7.
Incumbents Steve Fought in District 4 and Tommy Gonzalez in District 7 were unopposed in their respective races. A resolution to cancel the District 4 and District 7 elections was approved at the City Council meeting on March 8.
To see early voting locations or vote center locations on Election Day, go to wilco.org/elections.
To see maps of council districts, go to maps.georgetown.org/council-district-maps.
Rain Barrel and Compost Bin Sale
Rain barrels and compost bins are for sale online through City of Georgetown Conservation Services. Rain barrels are available in a 50-gallon size for $69 or a 65-gallon size for $106. The deadline to order online is 11 p.m. on Sunday, March 27. Order a rain barrel or compost bin here.
City of Georgetown utility customers will be eligible for a $15 credit on your utility bill with an online rain barrel order. (One $15 credit is available per utility account.) When you order online, you will be given a link at the bottom of the order form for a rebate application. Fill out and submit the application and the amount will be credited to your City of Georgetown utility account after you pick up your rain barrel. Compost bins also are available for $65 each. (No credits available on compost bins.)
Rain barrels or compost bins ordered by the March 27 deadline can be picked up on Saturday, April 2 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Georgetown Municipal Complex, 300-1 Industrial Avenue.
Rain barrels are made of 100-percent recycled plastic and are designed to collect water from a downspout. They have a child-proof and bug-proof lid that keeps out mosquitos and also feature a drain valve at the bottom that connects to a garden hose. The rain barrels are gravity-fed and do not require a pump.
Landscapes: Central Texas Pastel Society Exhibit
“Pets Are Worth Saving” Stickers Alert First Responders
If your house was on fire and you weren’t there, would firefighters know about your dogs or cats in order to try to rescue them?
Or if you had a medical emergency and weren’t able to communicate, would EMS know to look for any pets to make sure someone takes care of them while you’re at the hospital?
Georgetown Police and Georgetown Animal Services recently introduced a new program called “Please PAWS: Pets Are Worth Saving,” designed to make sure your pets are rescued if there is an emergency. A sticker with a red stop sign and the “Please PAWS” symbol on it in a front window alerts emergency officials that you have a pet in your home.
The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that one out of four people in the United States own at least one dog. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals estimates that police and other first responders encounter an animal on one out of every three calls, whether stray animals or owned pets.
“We had a situation a while back where a woman was transported to a local hospital and admitted,” says Capt. Evelyn McLean with the Georgetown Police Department. “We were unaware that the woman had two dogs crated in her garage until a neighbor called a couple of days later saying she could hear the dogs. If she had a PAWS sticker displayed, we may have located the dogs the night she was transported and we could have made arrangements with Animal Services to care for the dogs.”
The stickers also can serve to alert police officers responding to a residence so that they know of any animals they may encounter if they enter the home. Awareness of animals can lower the risk of bad outcomes from an animal that might be threatened by a stranger entering the home.
The “Please PAWS: Pets Are Worth Saving” stickers are an effort initiated by Capt. McLean and Animal Control Officer Kelly Thyssen. “We believe that a first responder’s heightened awareness of pets, especially canines, in a home will hopefully decrease negative and potentially dangerous encounters,” says Thyssen.
The Please PAWS stickers are available for no charge at the Georgetown Public Safety Operation and Training Center, the Georgetown Animal Shelter, and directly from animal control officers in the field.
The City of Georgetown Police Department is located at Public Safety Operations and Training Center at 3500 DB Wood Road, which is next to Fire Station 5. Contact the department at (512) 930-3510 or by email at pd@georgetown.org.
The City of Georgetown Animal Shelter is located 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 Vaccine Clinic for Pets
The Georgetown Animal Shelter will conduct its first low-cost vaccination clinic of the year on Saturday, March 26, 8:30-11 a.m. The walk-in clinic 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 WL 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, March 26, 2016
- Saturday, May 28, 2016
- Saturday, July 30, 2016
- Saturday, September 24, 2016
- Saturday, November 19, 2016
Find out more at pets.georgetown.org.
Airport Master Plan Update Funded
The City of Georgetown is beginning an update process for the Airport Master Plan for the Georgetown Municipal Airport. The City Council approved a project participation agreement at their regular meeting Tuesday night.
Funding for the project is being provided through a 90/10 matching grant program administered by the Texas Department of Transportation Aviation Division that requires a 10 percent local match. The grant includes $180,000 in federal funding and $20,000 in funding from the City Airport fund, which is supported by revenues and taxes generated at the Airport. Local Airport funds of $20,000 for the grant were approved in the City’s budget for the 2014-2015 fiscal year.
The Airport Master Plan is a long-term planning document that provides a framework for future considerations at the Airport, such as new business opportunities, infrastructure improvements, and desired community goals for the Airport. The current Airport Master Plan was last updated in 2005.
A consultant will be hired this summer to lead the update process. Public input will be part of the Master Plan update, which is scheduled to begin this fall and is expected to be a two-year process.
The Georgetown Municipal Airport is a general aviation regional reliever airport located on Airport Road in Georgetown. Find out more about the Georgetown Municipal Airport at airport.georgetown.org.
Georgetown Main Street Program Commended
Georgetown was recently commended by the Texas Historical Commission for successful annual progress as a designated Main Street community, one of 58 in Texas to be recognized this year. Cities were recognized at the winter meeting on February 10 of the Texas Main Street Program, which is a program of the Texas Historical Commission.
As part of the Texas Main Street Program, local Main Street programs focus on responsibly utilizing a community’s historic assets for economic benefit and to increase quality of life. Main Street programs in Texas are staffed, but rely on community volunteers to carry out the program.
The Georgetown Main Street Program is accredited by meeting performance benchmarks in planning, partnerships, staffing, volunteer effort, preservation ethic, training, and program assessment through reporting.
Georgetown Main Street Program activities in 2015 included providing $34,000 in façade and sign reimbursement grants to 12 downtown businesses, sponsoring the Ladies Nite Out and Georgetown Swirl events, and the annual collectible Christmas ornament sale.
For more information about the Georgetown Main Street Program, go to mainstreet.georgetown.org. For more information on the Texas Historical Commission’s Main Street program, visit www.thc.state.tx.us.
Warrant Round-up Starts March 5
The 2016 Statewide Warrant Round-up starts on March 5 when more than 300 law enforcement agencies in Texas will concentrate their efforts to find those with outstanding warrants. Law enforcement officers are going to residences and workplaces to serve arrest warrants. Those with outstanding warrants should act immediately to avoid going to jail.
To make a payment on an outstanding class C misdemeanor offense in Georgetown, go to the Municipal Court location at 101 E. Seventh Street. Money orders and cashier’s checks are accepted. Personal checks are not accepted. To contact Municipal Court by phone, call (512) 930-3625.
In addition to regular weekday hours, Municipal Court will have special Saturday hours from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. on March 5. Those who wish to pay fines and avoid arrest can come to the court at those times or during regular business hours.
Payments can be made online at any time using a credit card through the City’s web site at court.georgetown.org/paying-fines.
San Gabriel River Bank Stabilization
A bank stabilization project along the San Gabriel River in San Gabriel Park will begin in March. A low retaining wall will be constructed along the grassy north bank of the river in San Gabriel Park.
The retaining wall will span more than 1,700 feet from the confluence of the north and south forks of the river by the pedestrian bridge to a point near a natural spring outlet. The top of the retaining wall will be even with the ground and will not obstruct views or access to the river from the park.
The bank stabilization project will address erosion that occurs along the riverbank during flooding. The project was identified as a priority in 2013. Engineering work began in 2014 and permits have been obtained from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Texas Historical Commission, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Construction is set to begin in March and conclude in June. The project is funded with $454,739 from parks bond funds authorized by Georgetown voters in 2008.
Fishing and access to portions of the river and a segment of the trail in the park will be limited during the construction period.
To facilitate the construction work during the project, the sluice gates in the low-head dam near the low-water crossing will be removed, which will allow most water to drain from the river basin. Water will continue to flow in smaller channel of the river. The project also will include the removal of gravel deposits from the river bed as well as the removal of dead trees on the steep south river bank along College Street.
Once the retaining wall has been completed, the sluice gates in the dam will be replaced, allowing the river to refill to its normal pool level.
Airport Improvements Funded by TXDOT
Safety and maintenance improvements at the Georgetown Municipal Airport are set to begin this spring. The work is funded under a 90/10 match grant program through the Texas Department of Transportation. The Texas Transportation Commission approved an $8.3 million dollar grant at their meeting on January 28. Airport revenues are funding $830,000 toward the improvements, which is a 10 percent match to the TXDOT funding.
Improvements include a new lighting system along the taxiways to improve visibility for pilots at night or in foggy conditions. In addition, taxiways will be repaired with crack seal and seal coating and the concrete apron near the Terminal will be patched. A taxiway realignment will allow for easier movement of airplanes. In order to meet clear zone requirements, trees will be removed at the end of Runway 11/29.
Below-ground fuel tanks at the Airport will be replaced with new above-ground tanks, including a 15,000 gallon tank for Avgas and a 20,000 gallon tank for Jet A fuel. The new tanks meet current environmental rules for aviation fueling facilities. A concrete containment berm will enhance groundwater protection.
It should be noted that these improvements will not lengthen runways or allow heavier planes to land at the Airport. The improvements are designed to improve safety for the type of aircraft currently using the Airport.
Another element of the grant funding through TXDOT includes an update to the Airport Master Plan, which guides future use and development of the Airport. Public involvement will be a key element of the Master Plan update. Consultant selection is slated to begin this summer on the two-year Master Plan update process.
For more information about Airport improvements, go to the Georgetown Municipal Airport website at airport.georgetown.org. Also check out the Citizen FAQ.
