CITY OFFICES CLOSED NOV. 25 FOR FURLOUGH DAY
The FY2010 city budget closed a $59 million shortfall in part by reducing personnel costs. Among the strategies to reduce personnel costs are furlough days. A furlough day is a day off without pay.
The next furlough day will be Wednesday, Nov. 25. As a result of the furlough day, some city services and programs will be unavailable. The Fort Worth Municipal Building (City Hall), Marshall Public Safety Building (Municipal Courts), community centers, drop-off stations and most city buildings will be closed. The Fort Worth Marshal’s Lake Patrol office will be closed Nov. 25-27.
Open Nov. 25/services as usual
- Fire emergency services
- Police services (The Records Unit and Identification Unit will be closed to the public.)
- Weekly garbage, recycling, yard waste and bulky item pickup will take place as usual on Nov. 25.
- Alliance, Meacham and Spinks airports
- Golf courses, Fort Worth Botanic Garden, Fort Worth Herd, McLeland Tennis Center, Fort Worth Zoo, Fort Worth Water Gardens (water features will not be operating)
- Fort Worth Convention Center and Will Rogers Memorial Center will be open for previously booked events.
- Water Call Center: Payments can be made online or by phone. 817-FW-24-HRS (392-4477)
- City Call Center:
- City Switchboard: 817-392-CALL (2255)
- Environmental Management: 817-392-EASY (3279)
- Code Compliance: 817-392-1234
- Animal Care and Control: 817-392-3737
- Transportation/Public Works: 817-392-8100
Operating on alternate schedule
The Central Library will be closed Nov. 25-27. All other libraries will be closed Nov. 24-27.
On closure days:
- No library materials will be due, and due dates will be extended to Dec. 1.
- No electronic requests for materials will be processed.
- Book drops will be closed.
Normal library operating hours resume Nov. 28.
For more information, call 817-392-CALL (2255).
H1N1 VACCINATION EVENTS SCHEDULED COUNTYWIDE
Two one-day H1N1 vaccination clinics have been scheduled:
- 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, Resource Connection gymnasium, 2300 Circle Drive, Fort Worth. The Fort Worth T provides bus service to the Resource Connection. From the Intermodal Transportation Center, 1001 Jones St., take route 3, which runs at 15 and 45 minutes after the hour.
- 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 24, Arlington Convention Center, 1200 Ballpark Way, Arlington
Additionally, beginning Friday, Nov. 20, the H1N1 vaccine will be available, as long as supplies last, at seven Tarrant County Public Health centers:
- Arlington Public Health Center, 536 W. Randol Mill Road, Arlington
- Bagsby-Williams Public Health Center, 3212 Miller Ave., Fort Worth
- La Gran Plaza Mall, 4200 South Freeway (I-35W at East Seminary Drive), Fort Worth
- Northeast Public Health Center, 813 Brown Trail, Bedford
- Northwest Public Health Center, 3800 Adam Grubb Road, Lake Worth
- Southwest Public Health Center, 6551 Granbury Road, Fort Worth
- Watauga Public Health Center, 6601 Watauga Road, Suite 122, Watauga
Visit Tarrant County Public Health website – http://health.tarrantcounty.com – to find operating hours for the clinics above.
The Tarrant County Public Health Department received 14,300 doses of injectable H1N1 influenza vaccine. The vaccine will be available to people in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention target groups:
- Pregnant women
- Household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months
- Health-care and emergency medical services personnel
- All people from 6 months through 24 years; and
- People 25-64 who have health conditions associated with a higher risk of medical complications from influenza
To learn more, call 2-1-1 or check the Tarrant County Public Health website – http://health.tarrantcounty.com.
GARBAGE, RECYCLING, BRUSH PICKUP SCHEDULE FOR THANKSGIVING
Thanksgiving is one of three holidays when garbage, recycling and brush will not be picked up curbside.
Here’s how the holiday (Nov. 26) may change your service:
| Monday, Nov. 23-No Change | |
| Tuesday, Nov. 24 – No Change | |
| Wednesday, Nov. 25 – No Change | |
| Thursday, Nov. 26 – Changed to Friday, Nov. 27 | |
| Friday, Nov. 27 – Changed to Saturday, Nov. 28 |
Bulky item pickup will continue as usual for residents assigned the fourth week of the month (Nov. 23-28). The drop-off stations will be closed Nov. 26.
The Environmental Collection Center — for disposal of household chemicals such as oil, gas, paints, antifreeze, brake fluid, cooking grease and more — will be closed Nov. 26-28.
Holiday bonus: You may place up to two extra plastic bags — weighing no more than 40 pounds each — outside the garbage cart only on your first collection day after Thanksgiving.
FORT WORTH MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND HISTORY OPENS
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Opening Day
Western Heritage Plaza
9:30 a.m: Pre-program Activities
10 a.m: Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Rain or Shine!
This is it, the big day! Join us as we celebrate the Museum’s new building, cut the ribbon, and open the doors to the world’s newest center for innovation and learning! The celebration will begin at 9:30 a.m. with fun, family-friendly activities on the Western Heritage Plaza. Then at 10 a.m. you’ll hear from city officials, dignitaries, and special guests and watch as they and Fort Worth school children officially open Fort Worth’s newest cultural gem. Doors will open immediately following the ceremony.
Free admission for the first 3,500 guests on Opening Day
Free admission does not include Noble Planetarium and Omni Theater.
If you can’t join us in person, watch the event on the Web!
Even if you can’t be here with us on Friday morning, you can still watch the ceremony as it happens LIVE on the Web. Go to our Web site (www.fortworthmuseum.org) on Friday morning at 10 a.m. (Central time) and click on the “Watch it Live” link. Or go directly to:
http://events.variview.net/clients/netstreamlive/20091120
Please note, if you plan to watch the event from a Mac, you must first download and install the Flip4Mac program, which is easily found on the Web via Google or any search engine.
EVENTS AT THOMAS PLACE COMMUNITY CENTER
- Intersession camp for kids begins on November 9.
- There’s a free soccer clinic for kids ages 5-12 on November 11 from 6pm-7pm hosted by the National American Soccer Camps (NSAC).
- Bring your blankets and find a spot on the hill on November 20 at 7pm for another fantastic family-friendly movie in the park.
- Don’t forget to join Hatha Yoga on Monday’s at 6:45pm for only $25/month.
- Level 1 Belly Dancing lessons are also Monday nights at 6pm; Level 2 classes start at 7pm and each are $45/month.
- Expect to see Martial Arts classes for those 16 and up just around the corner slated for Monday through Wednesday nights at 7pm; that class will be $42/month.
LEAVES ARE FALLING; KEEP THEM OUT OF STORM DRAINS
Autumn is a beautiful time, with crisp temperatures and leaves turning colors. Those leaves eventually fall, and where they end up makes a big difference for flood control.
The city’s storm drain inlets — rectangular holes cut into street curbs — were designed to collect and empty rain water into a nearby river or lake, preventing neighborhoods from flooding.
When leaves or grass clippings are intentionally swept or blown into streets, they don’t just disappear. Some leaves and clippings are carried by rainwater through the drains and end up in a nearby river or lake, possibly endangering fish and aquatic life.
But some leaves don’t make it out of storm drains at all. They pile up, get stuck, clog drains and eventually stink. Rainwater gets left in the streets and, over time, could lead to neighborhood flooding.
If lawn contractors use leaf blowers on your yard, tell them not to blow leaves or grass clippings into the street or down storm drain inlets.
When storm drains are used as a dumping ground, the results can be disastrous, costly and smelly.
Options for fall leaf collection:
- Mow over leaves and let them remain on your yard — it’s good for the soil.
- Compost leaves and use them as fertilizer on your yard or garden.
- Purchase from the city a green yard card for yard trimmings. There’s no charge for weekly pickup.
- Bag leaves in brown paper yard bags for weekly pickup. There’s no limit on the number of bags you can set out. Never put leaves in plastic bags for curbside collection.
- Take leaves to one of the city’s free drop-off stations: 2400 Brennan Ave., 5150 Martin Luther King Freeway, 6260 Old Hemphill Road.
Call 817-392-EASY (3279) to learn more.
Source: City of Fort Worth
TIME TO CHANGE SMOKE ALARM BATTERIES
The Fort Worth Fire Department reminds you to replace smoke alarm batteries at both the end and beginning of Daylight Saving Time to ensure units provide the best possible protection year round.
Smoke alarms save lives. But they protect you only if they are properly installed and maintained. With very few exceptions, most fire fatalities occur in homes without a working smoke alarm.
Where to install them. The Fort Worth Fire Department recommends that you install at least one smoke alarm on every level of your home. Even better is one in every bedroom. Follow the instructions included with the device to ensure proper placement.
Testing is important. When was the last time you heard the alarm sound on your smoke alarm? Battery-operated alarms should be tested monthly to make certain they are working.
Cleanliness counts. When you change batteries, do a little maintenance as well. Dust collects on smoke alarms and may keep units from operating properly. To clean them, use the soft-brush cleaning attachment that is part of most vacuum cleaners.
You might need a new alarm. It’s recommended that smoke alarms be replaced every 10 years. After 10 years, a smoke alarm has worked continuously for more than 87,000 hours. If you don’t know how old your smoke alarm is, replace it with a new one as soon as possible.
Source: City of Fort Worth