Sister City Trip – the delegation from Duncanville to Monasterolo di Savigliano will be returning to Duncanville this weekend. They have sent some pictures of their trip and will make a report to City Council at the May 1, 2018 meeting. A few pictures are included at the end of this memo.
City Secretary – I am pleased to report that Ms. Narva Walker will begin employment on Monday, May 7 as the new City Secretary to replace Mary Jones who retired the end of February. Ms. Walker has a Master’s in Business Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. She has been previously employed as the Assistant City Secretary in Lancaster, a claims processor and health coordinator for Baylor Hospital in Dallas, and is currently working in accounts payable/accounts receivable for the city of Wilmer. She was previously certified as a Texas Registered Municipal Clerk (TRMC). We are excited to welcome her and my thanks to Assistant City Manager Paul Frederiksen and Economic Development Coordinator Cynthia Williams who assisted me in the interview process.
Police Department – Attached is the monthly crime report for March 2018 compared to previous month, and March 2018 YTD comparison to same period of 2017.
Fire Department – The Department has not had any major fire events in Duncanville this week, but did respond to a motor vehicle accident on I-20 involving four vehicles. A wrong way driver collided head-on with a vehicle on the west bound side late in the day Saturday. Unfortunately, a young driver was killed in the accident. Traffic was tied up on I-20 for hours due to the investigation and cleaning the highway of debris.
Fire Prevention will be installing smoke alarms in District 2 this coming Saturday. This program has been highly successful over the previous months.
Public Works – Water usage was 26.099 MG the week of April 16 through April 22, up from 23.943 MG the prior week. The daily peak water demand occurred on Monday, April 16, when 4.236 MG was used. There was 0.04 inches of precipitation that week.
Dallas County did not report any positive West Nile traps this week. Even so, continued use of an insect repellent containing DEET and removal all areas of standing water is recommended. Residents should report dirty pools at abandoned homes where mosquitos are likely to breed to Code Services at 972-780-5040.
City Planner Chasidy Allen Benson attended the National American Planning Association Conference in New Orleans held April 20-24. She attended several meaningful sessions including workshops on retail in underserved communities, comprehensive plan implementation, GIS training, downtown revitalization, and a tour of Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, winner of the Great American Main Street Award in 2017. The information she gathered from the conference can be applied in various ways in planning work for the City of Duncanville.
The concrete construction crew erected three barrier-free ADA ramps in the Flame East subdivision.
Design of the FY18 Water and Wastewater Improvements project has begun. Water main improvements will be made on West Center Street from Cedar Ridge Drive to North Horne Street and along Center Ridge Drive from Cedar Ridge Drive to the Center Ridge Apartment complex. Water and wastewater main improvements will be made along the current alignment in the Center Ridge Apartment complex existing easements.
Library — During the week of April 2-6 Library Director Julio Velasquez, and Librarians Stephanie Lott and Hannah Olsen attended the annual Texas Library Association (TLA) Conference in Downtown Dallas as panel presenters. They had the opportunity to use their expertise and experience to present on various panels to a diverse group of library professionals from across the state. Because the conference was local, several other library staff members also were able to attend informative sessions on Volunteer Recruitment and Coordination, STEM Programming, and Diversity Programming, which will be beneficial to the wide community that the library serves.
Repainting of the library was recently completed, creating a brighter and more vibrant space. Patrons have already expressed positive and enthusiastic comments on the new painting. Especially striking is the children’s area that has gained a much-needed colorful upgrade. The children’s area also received new colorful furniture to replace outdated and worn items and help create a more exciting space for our younger patrons and their parents.
Staff member Vickie Glass was one of the primary coordinators for Operation Clean Duncanville, which took place on Saturday April 7. Despite inclement weather being a potential deterrent, city employees working the event were able to assist 438 customers in dropping off waste and recyclables. Data Shred Services shredded and recycled approximately 11,500 pounds of materials.
Parks and Recreation Parks: • The horticulture crew completed the seasonal color plantings for all the flower beds with 500 flats of lantana and pentas. • Last weekend it was reported that the lightning detection unit at Harrington Park did not work correctly. Our staff immediately inspected the unit and determined that it is a battery issue. The new batteries are on order and will be here next week. The other lightning detection units are also being inspected to ensure they are functioning appropriately. • The replacement of the deteriorated athletic field light poles at Lakeside Park began this week.
Recreation: • The Recreation Center has signed both a new yoga program and a returning youth dance program for this upcoming season. The yoga program is hosted by Fitnessbyava and will look to incorporate both Yoga and Pilates in a PIYO format of fitness. There will be two nights a week dedicated to this core strengthening class. The returning youth dance class is a ballet focused curriculum taught by Lashonda Price. • All city departments gathered this week to continue working on the logistics of the two biggest events of the year: Juneteenth and Independence Day. The meeting was comprised of 5 different departments working together to ensure the success of these community events.
Building Maintenance: • Several facilities have received new paint over the past two weeks:
o Central Fire Station Bay Floors
o Fire Station #2 Bay Floors
o Utility Bill Dropbox
o Police Jail
o Senior Center Exterior
o Fieldhouse Exterior
New flooring has been installed in the meeting rooms at the Library/Recreation Center.
Senior Center: • Today is Rashidah Madyun’s last day as she begins her knew chapter of retirement. New Senior Center Supervisor Noel Garcia started this week and has been working with Rashidah to learn all he can before she leaves.
Fieldhouse: • The inaugural Under Armor event last weekend was a big success and they are already working to book future events at the Fieldhouse. • The smaller of the two major GASO events will be held at the Fieldhouse this weekend.
Economic Development – ED staff is providing support and working on the following projects: • Met with the Wyndham Hotel Corporation who is interested in building a hotel in Duncanville. • Met with the owner of the Rodeway Inn (formerly Quality Inn) and discussed their plans to put a pizza restaurant on the property. • With the development team, met with the owner of the old Calloway’s Nursery property located at 723 S Cockrell Hill Rd. They are interested in putting an event center and restaurant on the property.
Pappa’s BBQ has submitted site civil plans for their restaurant which will be located at Lot 1, Block A of Three Corners Addition. This is the property facing the northbound US 67 service road, adjacent to Costco and the new Popeye’s restaurant on Main Street.
The Duncanville Logo Advisory Committee will meet on Monday, April 30, 2018, at 3:30 p.m. in the City Council Briefing Room.
Certificate of Occupancy (CO) Permits Issued: • Nailizm; 620 S Cedar Ridge (Nail Salon)
Certificate of Occupancy (CO) Applications Received • Duncanville Nail Salon; 220 S Cedar Ridge Dr. (Nail Salon)
Public Information – Telemundo is planning a live news broadcast event on May 10, 2018, at Armstrong Park from 3:00p to 6:00p. They will have 2 hours of live news coverage featuring Duncanville, its offerings, positive stories and programs/events offered by the City. They will be inviting viewers to come to the park. The City has coordinated to have at least three City employees to do sound bites/live news feed in Spanish. We look forward to working with Telemundo and the opportunity to showcase Duncanville!
Patrick Harvey 