Brush pick-up – as reported last week, Republic has fallen behind their normal two-week brush pickup cycle due to the seasonal increase in brush and other materials. They added additional boom trucks and Saturday pick-up in an effort to catch up. To assist Republic, the City will place three 40-yard dumpsters that we have at the Service Center, on Shady Trail for Republic to start unloading brush into. This will keep their boom truck from travelling 1½ hours round trip to the mulching facility and back. They will have other drivers come and haul the 40-yard dumpsters when full. We have used this system before and it works well. This may not get them caught up but it should help keep them from getting further behind.
Somewhat related, I would also like to pass along a compliment that we received concerning Republic Services and that we passed along to their management:
[Citizen] called this afternoon to compliment the Boom Truck operator for the great job he did picking up his brush pile. He was pleased to see Juan Ibarra (the operator) get out of his truck and sweep up the twigs and leaves that he was unable to pick up with the boom truck. [Citizen] said he left his property very clean.
Substandard Building – Hanging Gardens – In March, the property at 1443 S. Main Street (Hanging Gardens) was found to be substandard in a public hearing conducted by the Director of Public Works, in accordance with the City’s ordinances. An order to repair or demolish was issued to the property owners. Since the property owners failed to comply with the di`rector’s order in the time frame allowed, the next step is to conduct a public hearing in municipal court. The hearing on this property is scheduled for June 29, 9:00a. If the judge rules in the city’s favor, an order to demolish will be issued and if the property owner fails to comply with that order in the allotted time, the City will contract for demolition and then place a lien on the property.
City Core Values – as we continue our efforts to build a “best-in-class” city organization, the staff has worked hard to champion the City Council’s adopted values and instill them in our everyday culture. To help with remembering the values and what they stand for, we have created the acronym “HABITS” because we believe it also serves to reinforce the idea of empowering employees to positive decision making through positive “habits.” We will be referencing it throughout our organization and wanted to share it with you:
H – Honesty: I will always be truthful.
A – Accountability: I am solely responsible for my actions.
B – Be Fair (Fairness): I will treat everyone with respect and without bias.
I – Integrity: I will always do what is honorable and what is right.
T – Transparency: I will be open and honest in my communications, genuine in my decisions and interactions with people, and be a reflection of a trustworthy organization.
S – Service above self: I am here to be a servant to all citizens.
Fire Department – The Department did not have any major fire or EMS events in Duncanville this week.
On Wednesday May 25, we were notified that we had received an award from the American Heart Association. The award is for the 2016 Mission: Lifeline EMS Recognition. The AHA has three levels of recognition — bronze, silver, and gold. We received the Silver Achievement Award. The award is based on treatment guidelines to improve patient care and outcomes for STEMI’s (ST-segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction – a heart attack caused by complete blockage of an artery). To receive the award, the department achieved a 90 minute or less time frame from initial contact with the patient, placement of a stent, and transport to nearest hospital, at least 75% of the time. This again demonstrates the training and dedication of our EMS crews in serving the citizens of Duncanville!
Police Department – as previously mentioned, the Police Department has undertaken an initiative with area churches to help foster better communication and relations between the PD and the community, especially the youth. The churches have been very responsive and welcoming, and provided feedback to Lt. Mark LiVigni that it would be great if officers could attend their services from time to time. Lt. LiVigni discussed this idea with Officer Louis Chapman, who has prior studies and work experience in youth church ministry. He volunteered to speak at church services and after receiving approval from Chief Brown, Lt. LiVigni made this offer to the churches if they wished to invite him. Pastor Ginger Hertenstein and First Presbyterian Church of Duncanville immediately accepted and invited Officer Chapman to speak at a service in July! We are excited about this opportunity to represent the Police Department and provide a positive community message to their congregation. We look forward to more such opportunities.
The 7th Annual Fire Truck Pull, hosted by the Police Department to benefit Special Olympics Texas, was held this past Saturday, May 21 at Armstrong Park. The
Duncanville PD placed third in the Public Safety category (Duncanville Fire placed second). Thanks to all who participated!
Public Works – Water usage was 25.439 MG last week, down from 26.779 MG the prior week. The weekly peak water demand occurred on Sunday, May 22, when 3.939 MG was pumped from ground and elevated storage.
Several staff members attended the annual Building Professional Institute in Arlington for continuing education and/or legal ethics requirements. City Planner Chasidy Allen and Building Official Greg Contreras both serve as moderators at this event every year. This year, Chasidy also stepped in to serve as the instructor for a three-hour Redevelopment Roundtable when the instructor was unable to fulfill his obligation. This speaks very well to the expertise and standing of our staff with their colleagues, as well as the value to the community achieved by continued training and education in our fields.
Staff continues to meet with the City of Cedar Hill to coordinate funding, operations and maintenance, as we finalize the transfer of the Summit Tank and property from the Trinity River Authority to the two cities. By assuming ownership from TRA, the two cities expect to save at least $150,000 on upgrades to the tank, in addition to annual savings on operation and maintenance.
There were no positive mosquito traps reported by Dallas County this week. Dallas County continues to forward updates to us regarding the Zika virus. There have been no reported cases in Duncanville.
Construction Update:
Curtco began sealing cracks in the asphalt pavement on Lodema Road.
Barson Utilities is continuing transfer of water service lines to the water main for residents along the Roma Drive Water and Sewer Improvements Project. This transfer includes the installation of new water meters. Miscellaneous curb, gutter and sidewalk repairs are also underway.
Excel 4 Construction has completed work on all service laterals on the fourth line of the approved change order for the current pipe bursting project.
The FY16 Asphalt Overlay Program is projected to start in the latter part of June to be followed by the street striping program.
Parks and Recreation – Willow Run playground is nearing completion. All that remains is the concrete border and it will be installed as soon as the weather allows. Unfortunately, the contractor hit rock in the installation of the playground at Lakeside Park. This is an additional expense of $4,000, but is always a possibility as an additional charge item on quotes we receive for playground installation. This will exceed the Innovation Fund original project budget of $350,000 for Harrington, Willow Run and Lakeside Parks’ playgrounds by $2,338.51. The overage will be made up through savings in other Innovation Fund projects.
Recreation – the Memorial Day Service will be Monday, May 30 at 10:00a at Memorial Park. The keynote speaker will be Retired Air Force Colonel Bobby Waddle and the event is coordinated with the local Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion organizations.
Fieldhouse — there are two large regional basketball tournaments this weekend and Monday at the Fieldhouse with both boys and girls teams ranging from 4th grade to high school. Heavy traffic should be expected around the Fieldhouse during this time.
Economic Development —
Certificate of Occupancy (CO) Permits Issued:
None this week
CO Permits Applied For:
Tune and Lube; 633 E Hwy 67 Unit #A; (Auto maintenance and repair)
Cross Road Trucking; 407 N Cedar Ridge Dr. Unit 315 (Trucking – office only)
Second Chance Art; 626 E. Hwy 67 (Art & Antiques Shop)
Barclay Construction Group; 411 W Danieldale Rd (Construction and Development Office)
Patrick Harvey 