A Newsletter for Arlingtonites

A Newsletter for Arlingtonites

E-Arlington is a bi-monthly electronic newsletter especially for Arlington residents. On the 1st and 15th of every month, watch for helpful news and information about you, your city and your neighborhood. E-Arlington is produced by the City of Arlington Office of Communication. Click here to subscribe.

Backyard Composting
Didn't Get Free Compost Bin? You Still Can

More than 1,100 composting bins were given away on November 15 as part of the city's Leaf Management Program, but there's still a way to snag one. Just attend a Backyard Composting class. Arlington Master Composter volunteers will give a step-by-step demonstration of proper pile building. Composting improves the quality of your soil. Less time and money is spent fertilizing and watering. It's a great alternative to dumping leaves in landfills or letting them clog storm drains. Not into composting? Arlington residents have until Feb. 28 the opportunity to drop off bagged leaves at four area sites. If you want to try your hand at composting, call 817-459-6778 or click here to learn about free classes.

City Council Certifies Election Results

The Arlington City Council has canvassed or officially certified the results of the Nov. 4 Bond Election. An estimated 126,000 Arlington voters cast ballots in the Nov. 4 election. More than 63 percent of those voters said "yes" to all five propositions on the ballot, approving $140.8 million in improvements for parks, streets, traffic, drainage, libraries and fire services. According to Senior Management Analyst Erin Clark, some of the projects could begin as early as summer/fall 2009. To view Election Results, visit arlingtontx.gov/citysecretary and click on Election. Watch the City Council meeting live on webcast.
Click here.

Be SMART
Safety is the Aim of New Motorcycle Campaign

The City of Arlington Police Department has launched a safety awareness campaign aimed at curtailing the rising number of motorcycle accidents. The "Stay Sharp, Ride SMART" program joins forces with area law enforcement agencies to promote proper motorcycle safety riding behavior. "Since 2006, motorcycle accident fatalities in Arlington have doubled," said Arlington police

officer Chris Holder, who came up with the "Stay Sharp, Ride SMART" slogan for the campaign. "By next year, we'd like to reverse this trend." For more information on the program and safe riding tips, go to the Arlington Police Department web site and click on motorcycle safety.

Cease The Grease
Holidays Can Often Mean Clogged Pipes

With the Thanksgiving holiday quickly approaching, the Arlington Water Utilities Department is reminding residents of the importance of properly disposing of holiday dinner scraps. Clogged pipes resulting from food, oils and grease can create potential environment hazards and be quite costly to clean up. Materials can restrict wastewater flow through the sewer system and result in sewage backup. It is okay for small amounts of cooking oil to be soaked up with a paper towel or poured into a closed-lid container such as a coffee can and placed in the trash. For more tips on proper disposal, call the Arlington Water Utilities Department at 817-459-6600 or click here.

Lively, Literary Discussions
It's Not Hard Finding a Book Club Near You

Book lovers have loads of options when it comes to discussing good books. Just go to your nearest public library. Every Arlington branch has evening book club meetings at least monthly. The Woodland West Branch even offers a daytime group gathering at 11 a.m. on the third Wednesday of each month. "Good Grounds for Books" invites participants to bring a book to discuss, either because you like the book or were challenged by your selection. The book clubs are a good way to converse with other avid readers and find some new gems, says Alice Blakely, who has been attending a Thursday night club at the Southwest Branch Library for six months. For a complete rundown of all book clubs and where they meet, click here.