Topic: Fort Worth

The City of Fort Worth is changing its schedules for curbside collections, drop-off stations and customer service center operations to accommodate the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Garbage, recycling, yard trimmings and bulky items will not be collected on Christmas Day, Monday, Dec. 25, or on New Year’s Day, Monday, Jan. 1, 2007. Instead, every collection day scheduled for those two holiday weeks will be delayed one day. For example, Monday collections will occur on Tuesday, Tuesday collections on Wednesday, etc. The city will resume its normal collection schedule starting on Monday, January 8.

City residents can place their Christmas trees by the curb on their weekly pickup day. The trees may be up to 10 feet tall. Flocked trees are acceptable for curbside collection. Trees CANNOT contain holiday decorations, stands or lights. Residents should NOT put the trees in plastic bags or other containers. The trees should be left uncovered when set out for collection.

Residents are also allowed to place up to two extra plastic bags of garbage outside their brown garbage cart on the first collection day after each holiday. Each bag should not exceed the 30-gallon size limit and must be placed two feet from any carts.

Dear NFW Residents:

As the year comes to an end, I wanted to update you on many key issues that affect our community. Please know that you have an advocate in me for continuing to improve our public safety and our street/road infrastructure:

1. Response Times/Public Safety. This past year we had two children hit by vehicles near Freedom Elementary and Woodlands Spring Elementary in the Keller ISD located in Fort Worth city limits. Residents were concerned and remain concerned about response times. Here is the game plan for continuing to address public safety concerns:

- In the last budget, we added over 54 more police officers and in the prior year's budget, we added over 20 police officers. Our current police force is at 1,400 officers. We also added more firefighter position as we moved to four man companies. This includes funding for staffing the New Fire Station 38 near Alliance Parkway and Park Vista. There are now approximately 821 firefighters in the City of Fort Worth

- Fire Station No. 38 is expected to be operational in mid-late January 2007. Funding in the 2004 bond package also includes funding for the new fire station at the Northwest ISD campus and one in the Willow Springs area of US 287 near Sendera Ranch. Currently, there is a temporary fire station at US 287 and Blue Mound Road. I have been advised by public safety staff that the new fire stations will be operational in 2008.

- Medstar Ambulance is posted at Westport Parkway and I-35W to respond to emergencies in North FW - the area north of Loop 820.

- Regarding mutual aid agreements, the City of Fort Worth once had a policy that the requesting city was responsible for injuries to Fort Worth personnel. That old policy came about because in the late 1990s, FW firefighters working off-duty for River Oaks were killed in a fire in Sansom Park and FW taxpayers paid the benefits. However, at the request of council, the new policy is "We take care of our own, you take care of your own" or "requesting city still liable but there are damage limits of up to $250,000 per person." So, with this new policy, city staff has been looking to enter into new mutual aid agreements with cities that have paid, professional fire, police, and emergency personnel. At my request, FW city staff has been talking to Keller.

- Due to the concerns many of you have expressed about response times and public safety, we will be having a Public Safety Community on January 30th for North Fort Worth at Northwest High School. We will provide more details about the Public Safety Forum after the first of the year.

Submitted by;
Officer Marc Povero
817-996-0406
marcus.povero@fortworthgov.org

When I was asked to write an article, I felt that I needed to address two important subjects: property crimes and emergency response times.

There have been a handful of vehicles stolen in The Villages of Woodland Springs lately. Each one was stolen while warming up in the victim’s driveway. During the colder part of the year, we see these types of thefts increase. Please DO NOT leave your car unattended in your driveway while it’s running with the keys in it. Our officers have been directed by the North Division commander, Capt. Bill Read, to issue citations to citizens who do this. It is a violation of the Fort Worth City Ordinances and will cost the recipient a fine of $100.00. I would rather spend $100.00 on Christmas presents than give it to the court clerk, wouldn’t you? Also, please do not leave valuables in your vehicle. We get calls of vehicle burglaries where people have left laptop computers, purses, wallets, phones, IPODS, and even CASH sitting in plain view on seats and center consoles!! Most of these vehicles were UNLOCKED!! Holy Cow, folks! Please take this stuff out of your car at night when you get home from work and lock your doors. Just FYI, thieves have also been entering open garage doors to commit burglaries. Guys, we like to keep a bunch of cool stuff in our garages and thieves think they are on a Home Depot shopping spree when they get in there This is your castle, your sanctuary, and bad guys are looking for an opportunity to violate your space and steal from you. Overall, you live in a safe neighborhood, but crimes of opportunity know no borders and drift into your area on occasion. DON’T BE A VICTIM!

A few people have voiced concern about emergency response time to an accident involving a child on Woodland Springs around the end of November. Rumors have flown and tempers have raged. I want to set the record straight. First, the officers assigned to your area were already working a major accident on Golden Triangle involving a dump truck and a small vehicle where the small car crossed over the median and struck the dump truck head on. A diesel fuel spill ensued and the entire road between Alta Vista and Hwy 377 had to be closed. This was done to protect citizens from a dangerous HAZMAT situation where an explosion could have caused more injuries and possibly fatalities. While three police officers were attempting to re-direct traffic from the fuel spill, the accident involving the young boy on Woodland Springs occurred. As soon as our dispatchers received the call, additional emergency units were dispatched. The MedStar ambulance arrived on scene only 7 minutes after receiving the call. This is 2 minutes faster than the required 9 minute priority 1 response requirement. A Fort Worth police officer arrived 14 minutes after dispatch due to receiving the wrong location (Woodland Springs/Keller Hicks). The Fort Worth Fire Department, which already had an engine on the scene of the fuel spill, had to dispatch another truck from Alliance Airport to assist the paramedics. The young boy was stabilized and quickly airlifted to Cook Children’s Hospital to receive treatment for a leg injury. An accident report was completed and filed in the records division at police headquarters. I want to stress to you that we take our responsibility of providing emergency services in your neighborhood very seriously. The officers, firefighters, and paramedics who protect you are professionals who have dedicated their lives to serving the citizens of your community. The response times to this accident were not a result of lack of police or fire coverage; it was a result of two major emergency incidents occurring at the same time in virtually the same geographical area.

Please remember that the best crime prevention tools are common sense and vigilance. Don’t be a victim this holiday season. Please don’t hesitate to call or e-mail me if you have any questions or concerns about what’s going on in your neighborhood. Also, let me know if you would like to get involved with our Citizens on Patrol program. The next class is January 13, 2007.

Have a wonderful holiday,

Officer Marc Povero

Personal Papers Piling Up?

DON'T FRET IT. SHRED IT!

Fort Worth Shred Day. It's FREE!

Celebrate Texas Recycles Day by shredding your old documents and papers during Fort Worth Shred Day.

WHAT: FREE SHREDDING OF PERSONAL DOCUMENTS (no business waste.
WHEN: Saturday, November 11, 2006, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Rain or shine!
WHERE: Vista Fibers of Fort Worth, 1100 NE 23rd St. (Mapsco 62M)
WHO: All Fort Worth residents.
WHY: Protect against identity theft and securely dispose of documents by recycling paper. Certificate of destruction will be provided.
LIMIT: 10 boxes (about 200 pounds)

Questions? Call 817-392-6385 or visit http://www.fortworthgov.org/dem

Starting October 9th, Tarrant County road and bridge crews will begin reconstruction of Katy Road between Keller Hicks Road and Oak Haven Road.

This project is a cooperative effort between Tarrant County and the City of Fort Worth to improve the structural integrity and the ride quality of this section of roadway. The construction process will consist of pulverizing the existing roadway, adding additional base material, stabilizing the base with cement, and placing a new asphalt surface. The roadway will remain as a two lane facility. The reconstruction will be accomplished in three phases.

Weather pending, construction should be complete by November 22. The first phase of construction will begin on Monday, October 9th and will take approximately two weeks to complete. This phase will begin at Keller Hicks Road and end just north of Egg Farm Road. During this phase, no traffic will be allowed to turn north onto Katy Road from Keller Hicks Road between the hours of 8:00 am to 3:30 pm. Traffic will be screened at Coffeetree and no traffic will be allowed to pass south of Coffeetree Road unless they are accessing a commercial establishment. The roadway will be completely closed at Egg Farm Road except for access to Charley’s Concrete.

All access to Katy Road must be from US 377. The roadway will be reopened each day to all traffic in both directions after 3:30 pm.

Criminals were busy in The Villages of Woodland Springs the last week of August!

You can see from the summary at the end of this article that we experienced significant crime from 25Aug06 through 31Aug06. Unfortunately, some of these were thefts from open garages. Please keep your valuables in the garage or house with the doors shut and locked. And never leave valuables in plain sight through the windows of your vehicle.

When you look into your vehicle in the street or driveway can you see CDs. DVDs, a purse or backpack, or a cell phone? Is the removable faceplate on your radio still installed and visible? Is the DVD screen still extended? If your answer is “yes”, your vehicle is a prime candidate for the roving criminal.

Many have moved to VOWS from smaller towns or rural areas where garage, home, and vehicle doors could be left unlocked without any problem…

“We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto!”

Property crimes tend to be “self-perpetuating”. By that I mean that when criminals are successful in stealing property from a particular area or street, more attempts by more criminals will be made. This is a mostly preventable crime. And, it does not cost you anything! Prevention is much more effective than enforcement.

Our Code Blue patrollers are beginning to log addresses where we observe the garage (or house) doors open repeatedly. We plan to send friendly reminders via postcard to keep the doors shut and locked. Help us keep the mailing small by closing the doors!

We have had many inquiries about joining the COPS/ Code Blue patrol team. Training is coming up in October, so if YOU are interested, now is the time to contact us.

25Aug06 Red Wolf Dr. - THEFT
29Aug06 Sugar Maple Dr. - THEFT
31Aug06 Porcupine Dr. - AUTO THEFT
31Aug06 Spotted Owl Dr. - THEFT
31Aug06 Dinette St. - BURGLARY (Residence)

Rick Pepper
code.blue@txpepper.com

The Regional Transportation Council of the North Central Texas Council of Governments invites the public to attend the following meeting:

August 15, 2006 at 6:30 p.m.
Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center
1000 Jones Street
Fort Worth, TX 76102

The purpose of the meeting is to learn what is happening in the region with transportation and help set priorities for the future.

Please contact Lara Rodriguez at (817) 695-9247 or lrodriguez@nctcog.org for special accommodations due to a disability or for language translation. Reasonable accommodations will be made.

For additional information on upcoming public meetings, visit: http://www.nctcog.org/trans/outreach/involve

Let’s make The Villages of Woodland Springs Crime-free!

Only a few Part 1 crimes in VOWS were reported in July…

01Jul06 THEFT on Postwood Dr.
06Jul06 ASSAULT (simple) on Petunia Dr.
18Jul06 ASSAULT (simple) on Quail Creek Ct.
18Jul06 THEFT on Brown Fox Dr.

Let’s all be observant and make August 2006 a crime-free month.

The Fort Worth Police Department has seen an increase in property crimes over the past months. Especially significant to our neighborhood is an increase in burglary of motor vehicles in areas north of Loop 820. Construction site thefts are also increasing. Please help prevent this type of crime in VOWS. Always lock your vehicles that must be kept in your driveway or on the street. Be sure there are no valuable items visible (cell phones, DVD screens, purses, laptops, tools, etc.). Better yet, park the vehicles in your garage and keep the door shut. Thieves really like a street with lots and lots of cars and trucks in the driveways and streets. They can roam down the street unseen and there is a good chance they’ll find something to steal. Sadly, they can often take your items without even breaking a window because so many vehicles are left unlocked.

Thefts of air conditioning units and appliances top the list of construction site crimes. You may not think this involves you as an uninterested homeowner. But thieves roaming construction sites mean thieves driving down your street too. Construction workers are not allowed to continue working in new homes after 8:30 PM. If you see someone inside or working around the outside of a new home after this time, please call the FWPD non-emergency number and report the address and what you observed.

FWPD Public Police Forum on August 22

The next public police forum will be held at the Riverside Recreation Center on Tuesday August 22, 2006, starting at 7:00 PM. The Recreation Center is at 3700 E. Belknap in Fort Worth (MAP). This is a great opportunity to hear about crime prevention activities in our city straight from those directing the efforts (the forum is led by our Police Chief, Ralph Mendoza). The forums are held once a month and the FWPD tries to rotate between the various neighborhood policing districts. Although the forum is taped for later broadcast (cable), it is an informal meeting and always enlightening.

City-wide Crime Fair & Expo coming in September

This year all the FWPD districts are combining efforts to host a city-wide Crime Fair and Expo at the Will Rogers Coliseum on September 29-30, 2006. There will be seminars, exhibits, and demonstrations for all age groups. This year will see a special Kid’s Fair including bicycle safety classes. Other events include a Woman’s Self-defense course and the Fatal Vision program that lets teen drivers experience how dangerous impaired driving can be (from alcohol, drugs). There will more than 75 booths set up in the exposition area from local retailers, organizations, and other crime prevention groups. I hope to see you there!

The next Code Blue/ Citizens on Patrol training class is in October. We have several individuals who are planning to attend, but there is always room for more. Contact us at code.blue@txpepper.com.

Dear North FW Citizens:

I certainly understand your anger and frustration with the current situation re: Keller Hicks and Alta Vista. I apologize up front for the length of this email, but I want to provide a detailed response.

I too was surprised by the action taken by the Keller ISD School Board. My feeling was that Keller ISD staff supported a shuttle system while we worked through resolving these issues.

Since I joined the FW City Council in May 2005, I soon realized the challenges of infrastructure citywide (400M in poor streets citywide and 16M in premature street failures) and particularly the issue of Keller Hicks and Alta Vista. I am a fast paced, high energy person who has been frustrated by the slow pace of governance.

Keller Hicks has been my number one road priority since last May. Only now have we been able to push city staff and the council to consider a critical capital needs package and to include Keller Hicks. However, city staff has not brought forth the final proposal. Yet, I believe we have the votes on this very proactive and team approach council to push this through. Under separate email, I will forward to you prior emails on Keller Hicks that I have received from city staff on this issue.

North Texas' record-breaking heat wave is causing a lot of things to move a little slower these days, including the City of Fort Worth's pick up of garbage, brush and recycling items. But officials of the city's Environmental Management Department report that the slow down in pick-ups by Waste Management, the city's collection contractor, should be resolved shortly.

Environmental Management Department officials say that the prolonged heat has forced the contractor to take longer than usual to service residents on some routes because it is causing collection trucks and their hydraulic equipment to malfunction. As a result, some collection routes are requiring two days instead of one day to complete. Waste Management is addressing the delays by adding more trucks to their collection service.

If garbage, recycling or yard trimmings is not collected on the scheduled day of service, residents should contact the city the day after their normal collection day to report the missed pick-ups. Residents can contact the city's Customer Service Center by calling 817-392-EASY (3279) or by E-mailing the center at Trash@fortworthgov.org . Normal operating hours for the center are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

"Heat that is this severe usually affects many types of machinery and motor vehicles. The trash and recycling collection trucks are no exception," said Brian Boerner, director of the Environmental Management Department. "Most of our residents will not see any change in their service. But we know that it will create a minor inconvenience for some residents, so we are working with Waste Management to get this situation resolved as quickly as possible and to return the collection system to its normal schedule."

The Texas Department of Transportation invites you to a public hearing on the Trans-Texas Corridor 35 from Oklahoma to Mexico.

When: Monday, July 17, 2006
Where: Will Rogers Memorial Center, Exhibits Hall, Round Up Inn
Location: 3400 Burnett-Tandy Drive
Time: Open House begins at 5:00 p.m. and the Public Hearing starts at 6:30 p.m.

Purpose of Public Hearing:

• Review and comment on the recommended preferred corridor (narrowed study area) and other alternatives


• Find out about the need and purpose of TTC-35


• Get information on what happens next


• Participate in the decision-making process

To view a map of the proposed TTC-35 corridor visit http://www.keeptexasmoving.org/flash/interactive_map/interactive.htm

For special accommodations at the hearing, call toll-free at 1-888-TRANS-TX (1-877-872-6789).

The temporary Drop-off Station on Yuma Avenue is ceasing operations Saturday, July 1st, at 5:00 p.m. Fort Worth residents can take their extra trash, recyclables, yard trimmings, or bulky items to these drop-off stations: Southeast Fort Worth at 5150 MLK Jr. Freeway, exit Village Creek off Highway 287; or in north Fort Worth, 2400 Brennan Avenue, west of I35 off North Side Drive and Cold Springs Road.

In partnership with Goodwill Industries of Fort Worth, the Southeast and Brennan Drop-off Stations both accept computers and other electronics, except TVs, whether they are working or not. Appliances that contain Freon® are also accepted. Trained city staff will safely remove any Freon at no charge. The drop-off stations are designed to be very user-friendly and offer free mulch to customers. The City of Fort Worth invites you to come and see for yourself.

Drop-off stations are open 6 days a week Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and closed on Sundays.

Drop-off station services are free to Fort Worth residents, but a recent water bill or a driver’s license is required to prove residency. No commercial waste is accepted, and no double-axle trailers are allowed.

For more information please visit: http://www.fortworthgov.org/dem/dropoff_stations.htm

Reminder-Tonight, June 20, 2006 a public hearing is scheduled on the proposed Tree Coverage, Preservation and Planting Ordinance. The meeting is to be held at the Botanic Garden Center, 3220 Botanic Garden Blvd at 6 p.m.

For more information regarding the meeting, visit Proposed Tree Ordinance

Also, at the June 19, 2006 City of Fort Worth public hearing on the proposed revisions to the Tree Preservation Ordinance, several citizens asked questions about the cities ability to enforce newly adopted regulations on existing plats and developments, the author of the bill and the vote in the House and Senate.

In the 2005 session of the Texas Legislature, Senator Ken Armbrister sponsored Senate Bill 574 limiting the cities ability to apply certain regulations, such as tree preservation ordinances, retroactively to existing active filed plats or projects. This bill passed and the changes in the law were incorporated into Chapter 245 of the Local Government Code.

For your information, visit http://www.fwlinc.org/PDF/Legislative_Info.pdf for a copy of the bill history, contact information for the Honorable Ken Armbrister, the language of SB 574 that was passed and the vote.

Here's Another Chance for Low Cost Pet Tags and Vaccinations

Fort Worth is offering license and rabies vaccination for only $4 and Microchip ID's for $10

A low-cost pet license and vaccination clinic will be held this Saturday to increase the number of pets with current identification and rabies vaccinations. The annual city pet license usually costs $7 and a rabies vaccination can cost even more. However, in order to increase the number of animals with current identification, and protect residents and pets from rabies, the city is offering both the license and the three-year rabies vaccination for only $4.

Also, a new technology in animal identification - the microchip - is being offered to those who are interested for an additional $10. A microchip offers pets a permanent form of identification.

When and Where: Pet licenses, rabies vaccinations and microchips will be available from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 10th at the Trail Drivers Park, 1700 NE 28th Street (MAP).

Think twice before posting that sign you could be fined up to $200.

According to city ordinance, it’s unlawful to post, fasten, erect, display or locate any sign on any structure, tree, pole, curb, or elsewhere within rights of way on any public street or on private property.

That means that “Lose 10 Pounds in Two Weeks” signs as well as garage sale, house cleaning, lost-a-pet and lawn care signs are illegal anywhere.

Garage sale signs can be posted for three consecutive days in the front yard of the person conducting the sale — one sign per yard, though.

Note from The Villages of Woodland Springs Covenants;

No sign of any kind shall be displayed to the public view on any Lot, except one (1) professional security service sign of not more than one square foot, one (1) sign of not more than five square feet advertising the property for rent or sale, political signs during election periods only as permitted by the City, or signs used by a Builder to advertise the Property during the construction and sales period, each of which shall, in any event, comply with all statutes, laws or ordinances governing same. The Board of Directors or its agents shall have the right to remove any sign, billboard or other advertising structure that does not comply with the above, and in so doing shall not be subject to any liability for trespass or otherwise in connection with such removal. (DCC&R – 5.28.8)

All North Fort Worth residents are invited to an evening full of fun and facts. Got a comment or question about North Fort Worth? The City will be all ears at a Town Hall Meeting at the Texas Motor Speedway June 1st. Neighbors will have a chance to visit with City of Fort Worth Councilmember Sal Espino and city staff on