Irving Hospital District Neighborhood Association

News For Neighbors

February 2010

The Noon Network – The Irving Public Library Job Center’s monthly networking opportunity for job seekers continues at noon March 1 at the Central Library, 801 W. Irving Blvd. Attendees are invited to bring their lunches, business cards and to share job hunting tips, leads and interview stories. Program attendance has doubled each meeting since the inception of the program three months ago. For more information, call (972) 721-2606 or visit the Job Center online at www.cityofirving.org/library.

“Building Our City” Show – A new episode of “Building Our City” on Irving Community Television Network gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the Texas Stadium implosion preparation, construction of the new convention center and a tour of the new Animal Care Campus. It is available on demand at www.cityofirving.org, and as part of regularly scheduled ICTN programming.

Bookmark Design Contest – The annual Design-a-Bookmark Contest continues with this year’s theme Pet-Tastic. The contest is open to all ages and submissions will be accepted March 1-April 30. Entries must be original artwork and suitable for public display. Official entry forms may be picked up at any Irving library or recreation center location. For details, visit www.cityofirving.org/library and click on “KidSpace.”

Library 101 – The Central Library, 801 W. Irving Blvd., introduces Library 101, a new computer class that will teach users tips and tricks for maximizing their use of the library’s online catalog, Web site and online databases. Other topics covered will include accessing eBooks, self-service holds, renewals and library Q&A. The first class will be held at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 27. For more information, call (972) 721-2606.

January 2010

2010 Spring Master Composter Training Course Register now for Irving's Master Composter Training Program. This program is open to all those who wish to attend and the cost is a $20 deposit (make check payable to the City of Irving). The deposit will be refunded at end of class to those that attend. Seating is limited. Attendees must be at least 13 years old. Participants must bring their own lunch. We will provide snacks and drinks.

  • Saturdays, Feb. 27 and March 6, 2010
    8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
    Senter East Building
    228 Chamberlain

Graduates will receive: In-depth knowledge about backyard composting and vermicomposting, educational materials Hands-on experience & Tours T-Shirt & Certificate C. E. Shepherd compost bin Compost Thermometer (upon completion of 20 volunteer hours.) Registrants are required to attend two days (both Saturdays)of training. Graduates must give 40 hours of volunteer time to the community through composting and recycling activities within a year of graduation.

To register call (972) 721-2533 or complete the online registration form.

2010 Texas SmartScape Classes Learn about low-maintenance, water-conserving landscaping with two free gardening classes on Saturday, March 6 at the Valley View Municipal Complex, 333 Valley View Lane.

  • Do-It-Yourself Home Landscaping Using Native and Adaptive Plants – 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Learn how to create a garden that requires little or no watering and less maintenance.
  • Fantastic Plants for North Texas – 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. Discover quality, native plants recommended for Irving.

Seating is limited. Call (972) 721-2772 or complete the online registration form.

2010 Eco-calendar – An eco-calendar has been produced for Irving residents for 2010. It features a different environmental topic each month—providing readers with tips on how to be better stewards of the planet. The city will host a variety of classes and events throughout the year to further educate residents about energy and water conservation, recycling, alternative forms of transportation, building green and being eco-conscious consumers. Free copies of the eco-calendar will be available at City Hall and at all public library locations. For more information, call Corporate Communications at (972) 721-2533.

Sewer-averaging period – Conserving water is not only good for the environment, but helps utility customers save money all year. Sewer charges are based on the average water consumption calculated during the winter months, so customers who conserve water during this time have lower sewer rates throughout the year. This average is figured during the winter because it provides a more accurate measure of water consumed inside the home without being impacted by outdoor use. As a courtesy, the city will send e-mail notices at the beginning of the sewer-averaging period to customers who have provided a current e-mail address. To add or update an e-mail address to an account, contact Customer Service at (972) 721-2411 or customer-service@cityofirving.org. An account number and/or service location will need to be provided.

Water and Wastewater System Upgrades Crucial to City’s Future – Major investments are being recommended for the city’s water and wastewater system to reduce the number of repairs needed due to aging infrastructure and expand system capacity for future needs. (Watch video)

The suggested capital improvement plans call for pipe replacements in several Irving neighborhoods, massive upgrades to underground infrastructure and the implementation of master plans, water reuse irrigation projects and development of future water supply.

To carry out the recommendations, city leaders are proposing to increase current investment in capital improvement plans from $15 million to between $24 and $40 million. Management will recommend a water and sewer rate adjustment of 5 percent, and a 2 percent adjustment to the franchise fee. Such investments will begin the process of bringing the city’s water and wastewater system up-to-date. The funding also will pay for necessary street improvements as pipes are replaced.

Project Costs – An example of how the money will be used is found beneath the surface of Irving streets. Due to corrosion, multiple pipe breaks and associated maintenance, a critical recommendation includes replacing cast iron pipes with PVC pipes. The annual goal of replacing up to 28 miles of water and sewer pipes will cost the city $22 million each year. PVC pipes are better able to withstand corrosion, decrease risk of impacting water quality and carry a life cycle of more than 50 years.

An additional $6 to $12 million annually would be expended on several master plan projects, including an upgrade to the Delaware Creek Sewer and capacity improvements to the Hackberry, Northgate and MacArthur pump stations.

Click here for more information on the city’s future plans, including a list of neighborhoods to receive upgrades this year.

City Council Meeting Schedule - The City Council has scheduled its meetings for 2010. All meetings begin at 7 p.m. The following are the City Council meeting dates:

January 14
February 4 and 18
March 4
April 1, 15 and 29
May 13 and 27
June 10 and 24		July 8 and 22
August 5
September 9 and 23
October 7 and 21
November 11
December 9

Residents can attend the meetings at City Hall, 825 W. Irving Blvd., or view them live on Irving Community Television Network (Channel 95 – Time Warner or Channel 31 – Verizon). Webcasts also are available on the Internet at www.cityofirving.org or www.ictn.tv. Meetings are subject to change. Call the City Secretary’s Office at (972) 721-2493 to confirm a meeting date.

Recycling Centers - The city offers two attended dropoff recycling centers located at 3000 Rock Island Road in South Irving and at 8555 Home Depot Drive in North Irving. The third center, previously located at O’Connor Road and State Highway 183, has been closed. For a list of acceptable materials, visit www.cityofirving.org/begreen. Select “Recycle” then select “Drop-off recycling centers.” Hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Thursday and Friday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Both centers are closed Tuesday and Wednesday and for most city holidays. Call (972) 721-8059.

September 2009

Vaccination and Spay/Neuter Clinic – Beginning Oct. 8, Animal Services will host a Kittico Spay/Neuter Clinic the second Tuesday of every month to provide residents with a low-cost option and reduce the number of homeless animals in the city. Residents may vaccinate for rabies and/or spay or neuter their cats at a discounted rate of $20. The average cost for these services is more than $100. For more information, call (972) 721-2256.

Online City Council Packets – To increase communication efforts to residents and businesses, the City Secretary’s Office now provides City Council agenda packets online. Packets include detailed facts, draft resolutions, and additional documents regarding agenda items voted on by City Council. The packet is available the Monday afternoon prior to Thursday City Council meetings at www.cityofirving.org under “Departments,” then select “City Secretary.” This initiative increases the city’s transparency and supports green initiatives by reducing the number of printed packets.

West Irving Aquatic Center – Construction has begun on the West Irving Aquatic Center. The new aquatic center will be located on Conflans Road, west of Belt Line Road across from West Park. The $4 million project will include a zero-depth entry splash pool with a water playground, current channel, toddler pool, two water slides, lap exercise pool and shade structures. The aquatic center is set to be completed by summer 2010.

August 2009

City Simplifies Tax Collection Process – The City of Irving has entered into an agreement with Dallas County to simplify the property tax collection process for customers. Effective Oct. 1, property taxes for Irving will be collected by the Dallas County Tax Office. For taxpayers, the change means convenience. Now, city and county taxes will be consolidated into one bill so that customers can issue one payment to one entity, all at once. Dallas County Tax Offices will welcome payments from Irving taxpayers at any of its 10 locations within the Metroplex, including the office at 530 North O’Connor Road (at the intersection of O’Connor Road and Pioneer Drive). Irving taxpayers will not only benefit from more payment locations, but customers can take advantage of an expanded list of payment methods. Traditional forms of payment, such as check, cash and money orders will still be accepted. Added methods of payment for taxpayers will include:

  • Credit card payments (for residential accounts)
  • Online payments
  • Kiosk payments
  • Wire transfers

There will be no changes in tax due dates for customers—payments are due before Feb. 1 and must be postmarked by Jan. 31 at the latest. It is estimated that the adoption of this new tax collection process will save the city $157,000 annually. To view a complete listing of tax office locations and hours, visit www.dallascounty.org/department/tax/taxoffice_home.html.

Cleaning Up the City: Shopping Cart Removal – Another proactive measure the city is taking to keep Irving clean and free of clutter is through the enforcement of new shopping cart regulations. Like other forms of litter, abandoned shopping carts can tarnish the image of any city, neighborhood or community.

More than 785 abandoned shopping carts were removed from Irving streets by the city’s Corridor Litter Abatement team last year. With the ratification of the new ordinance, the abatement team will have the help of Irving businesses and retailers to control the whereabouts and retrieval of stray shopping carts.

“Working with business leaders to reduce the number of loose shopping carts is a great idea and represents another innovative step the City of Irving is taking to preserve the vibrancy and beauty of our community,” said Chris Michalski, parks and building maintenance director.

Businesses and retailers that offer patrons shopping carts and occupy more than 3,000 square feet of real estate can satisfy the city’s annual requirement to secure a shopping cart permit for $100. Using the information collected on the permit application, the city will notify businesses and retailers when abandoned shopping carts are spotted on city streets. Carts not collected by the respective business or retailer within a certain amount of time will be retrieved by the city and may be recovered by the business or retailer at costs ranging from $40 to $50 per unit. Unclaimed carts will eventually be scrapped and sold.

Residents who find loose shopping carts on city streets, corridors and rights-of-way may report their findings to Irving’s 24-hour litter hot line at (972) 721-5487.

Cell phone ban reminder - To help provide additional safety to children, the use of cell phones while driving in active Irving school zones is prohibited. The guidelines for the ban, which are enforced on school days during active school zone hours, prevent motorists from engaging in calls by talking, dialing or listening on a hand-held mobile telephone, and entering or reading text messages. This includes:

  • Hand-held cell phones
  • Personal digital assistants (PDAs)
  • Pagers
  • Other electronic communications devices

For more information, call the Police Department at (972) 721-2518 or visit www.cityofirving.org. 

July 2009

Look before you leave – In 2008, Texas led the nation in hot car deaths due to children being left in, or trapping themselves inside, a vehicle during hot weather. It only takes 15 minutes for the interior of a vehicle to reach 140 degrees on a typical 100-degree Texas day, and your car can reach 120 degrees within 30 minutes when it is only 85 degrees outside. Keep in mind that some of these tragedies were caused by children playing in parked, unattended cars.  So pass the word along to look before you leave your car and make sure everyone exits.  Then lock your vehicle and secure your keys so the little ones cannot get inside without your knowledge.  For more information, check the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services at www.dfps.state.tx.us/seeandsave/.

Smithsonian Artifact at Arts Center – Explore the Forbidden City as the Irving Arts Center unveils an artifact from the Smithsonian Institution as part of the upcoming exhibit, “Within the Emperor’s Garden: The Ten Thousand Springs Pavilion.” The exhibit will be on display through next June and features images and text panels in English and Chinese about the Imperial Garden in the Forbidden City in Beijing. It is highlighted by a 9-foot model of the Ten Thousand Springs Pavilion. The 3,000-piece model is hand-carved and was assembled without the use of nails by the senior conservator from the Smithsonian Institution.

Don’t Forget the Baby Campaign – Corporate Communications has teamed up with the Fire and Police departments to develop a public outreach campaign to help prevent small children from being left in hot cars. Last year, Texas led the nation in hot car deaths. “Don’t Forget the Baby” window clings and rearview mirror hangers are available to residents. They can be placed in vehicles as a reminder to always look in the backseat before leaving the vehicle.