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Rowlett Public Library Recognized for Excellence for the 17th Consecutive YearAt this week’s City Council Meeting, the City of Rowlett Public Library was presented the Texas Municipal Library Directors Association 2021 Achievement of Excellence in Libraries Award. 565 public libraries exist in Texas - of those libraries, only 59 received this award in 2021! This is the 17th consecutive year the Rowlett Public Library has received this award in recognition of the quality programs and services offered to educate, entertain, and enrich the lives of community residents.
Receiving this distinction is an honor. The award speaks to the valuable contributions made daily by the staff and volunteers of the Rowlett Public Library. Their dedication, enthusiasm and effort bring levels of customer service excellence that could not otherwise be reached. Congratulations! Pictured l to r: Laura Tschoerner, Phil Barott, Nancy Chevalier, Kim Hartwell-Noe, Lauren Osborne Reasor, Mary Lynn Saxton, Vicki Stallcup-Causey, Councilmember Pamela Bell.
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Thank You, Rowlett High School Students!A community is created by its PEOPLE, and one of the greatest assets Rowlett has is the sheer volume of citizens who volunteer to help their City. Rowlett has over 600 acres of park land. Some with playgrounds, some with ballfields, some with ponds, some with walking trails, and some are just open greenspace. Oh, and throw in a waterpark! As you can imagine, the maintenance and upkeep of these areas of beauty and recreation throughout our town is a daily task and a great source of personal pride for our fabulous Parks and Recreation Maintenance crews. Sometimes they no more than drive off after having spent hours cleaning a park, than park visitors come in right behind them and perhaps are a little lax in their own anti-littering efforts. We are always so appreciative of citizens who bring these issues to our attention so that we can give those areas a little extra love. Additionally, we are SUPER appreciative when residents team up with us to help SOLVE what may be an ongoing issue! For example, recently a citizen expressed concern over the litter they observed in the Kids Kingdom/Wet Zone area of Pecan Grove Park. Turns out, this has become an area of concern as students from Rowlett High School have been using it as a “hang out” when they perhaps should be in class. When Rowlett resident Myranda Congi and Parks and Recreation staff brought this to the attention of RHS Principal Carmen Blakey, she immediately responded by developing and implementing an action plan for students to become involved! Read on…
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Rowlett Fire Department Welcomes New Fire Engine
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The Rowlett Fire Department took delivery of the new Ladder 4 truck on Monday. This fully equipped Spartan Quint Fire Engine with a 75’ aerial ladder will be housed at Fire Station 4. Thank you to the Rowlett City Council for approving this addition to our public safety fleet, which will enhance the ability to provide expedient life-and-property-saving-response to the taller structures in our growing community!
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Dalrock Road Curves Update and FAQ There are two curves on Dalrock Road between Princeton and Liberty Grove that have become a focus for the City due to the number of crashes which have occurred. On the Dalrock south curve alone, sixteen crashes happened between 2016-2020, the cause of which is mainly due to driver inattentiveness and speeding. To build upon the improvements which have already been installed at the south curve, at this week’s City Council Meeting Garver Engineering provided an update for further improvements based on their recent study. This study was commissioned in late fall of 2021 to identify solutions to improve roadway conditions and reduce crashes in the area. As a result, the Rowlett City Council has approved moving forward with: - the design and construction of a drainage pipe along the existing ditch;
- installing a 6’ wide shoulder; and
- installing a metal beam guard fence along the south Dalrock curve.
Once these improvements have been completed, a high friction coating will be installed on the roadway to increase the surface friction. Work on these solutions will begin immediately. More info and a detailed FAQ…
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Register to Vote by April 7Our community has an important General and Special Election coming up on Saturday, May 7 (early voting begins April 25). Not only is the position of Mayor on the ballot, but those of Councilmembers in Places 1, 2, 4 and 6. In order to vote in this election, original registrations and updates to names/addresses must be completed by April 7, 2022.
Did you know that over 90% of the registered voters in Rowlett did not vote in the last local election? Make sure YOU are registered to vote and let your voice be heard, Rowlett! More info.....
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Texas Broadband Office Seeks Resident Input The Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO) is seeking input from residents on their broadband needs and experience. This input will help form a statewide broadband plan. It will also assist the Texas BDO in competing for Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds based on local/state broadband needs. Rowlett residents are encouraged to be part of this important initiative by responding to the survey! Your input is critical for improving broadband access. Survey (English) Survey (Spanish)
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Free Electronic Recycling & Document Shredding – Saturday, April 99am-1pm Rowlett High School parking lot Time to clean out the garage and haul those old boxes of papers down from the attic! Keep Rowlett Beautiful and Life Message sponsor this event, which allows us to get rid of old electronics cluttering up our homes in an environmentally safe manner. Document shredding is also offered, the first three are free, any additional are $5 each. More info…
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St. Patrick's Day Celebration
Last Saturday, Rowlett Fire Department Pipes and Drums marched in the Greenville Avenue St. Paddy’s Day Parade!
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The Fire Department welcomed eight new firefighters recently. They are now on their fourth week of an eight-week onboarding program, which includes utilizing all the features of our Public Safety Training Center at Fire Station 2!
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Welcome to the RPD Family, Officer DJ!The Rowlett Police Department was honored to swear in Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel as an Honorary Police Officer! DJ is a ten-year-old who is battling terminal brain and spine cancer. It is DJ’s dream to become a police officer, so RPD and several other law enforcement agencies stood with him as he was sworn in as a Texas Peace Officer. This not only fulfills his goal of being sworn in by 100 law enforcement agencies, but after this event he topped over 300!
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New Rowlett Police Officer Sworn In
Please welcome Victoria Bailey, sworn in by Assistant Chief Dan Miller as a Rowlett Police Officer. Officer Bailey comes to us from the Denison Police Department, where she served for eight years.
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Community Development News
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Neighborhood Planning Spring Yard of the Season Awards Nominations open March 21 – April 11 Yard of the Season is recognition program dedicated to improving the quality of life and the appearance of our neighborhoods and community. Citizens and businesses are all encouraged to participate and showcase their exquisite and unique yard! This is also a wonderful opportunity to recognize the hard work and dedication achieved by your neighbor in maintaining their yard. Four yards, one in each quadrant of the City, are chosen each season - we appreciate the efforts demonstrated by so many Rowlett residents to create such impressive green spaces! More info…
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Virtual Open House - Meet the Neighborhood Planning Team! Wednesday, March 30 – 7pm Join us on Microsoft Teams for our first Open House as we discuss the Neighborhood Planning program! Learn more about neighborhoods, what’s getting built in Rowlett, and new, fun events we are planning. Meeting will be recorded for view afterwards. More info and meeting link…
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Neighborhood Planning Resource Map The Neighborhood Planning Department is committed to working with all of our neighborhoods to provide quality customer-service and programs that meet the needs of our small communities through effective 360-degree communication, promote community involvement, and strengthen the relationships between neighborhoods and City staff. Here’s where YOU come in – the Department is updating neighborhood contact information, which will then be placed on a Neighborhood Resource Map showing residents where neighborhood groups exist and how to reach them.
Take a second to fill out THIS FORM and tell us about YOUR neighborhood…thank you for your help! More info...
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Arts and Humanities Commission ContestsYoung Artist Exhibit Young artists, Kindergarten through 12th grade (public, private and home-schooled students) are invited to show off their creative talents in this annual art exhibit. The Young Artists Exhibit gives our community’s young people the positive reinforcement and encouragement they need. For many kids, this kind of event is an important opportunity to display their art work. It helps to validate them as developing artists, and helps parents and community members to be more aware of visual arts programs in our schools. The Commission's goal is to encourage area students to become more active in their communities through the visual arts! More info…
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Rowlett Sings The Arts and Humanities Commission has brought back this popular amateur singing competition, and its open to all Rowlett residents. Contestants may enter group and solo categories, which are offered according to age range. Deadline to enter is April 9, so polish up those vocal skills! More info…
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Poetry Contest All ages are encouraged to create their own original poem around the theme “Keep Rowlett Beautiful.” Winning entries will be displayed as a poster at the library throughout April. Entries are due by 5:30pm on Saturday, March 26. More info…
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Lunch on the Lawn
Mondays, March 21 through April 25 11am-2pm Village of Rowlett Downtown Enjoy a variety of food trucks, live music and games - take your lunch break outside and soak in the beautiful beginning of spring! More info…
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Fitness Fun Class and Senior Drumba Class had an amazing attendance this week, word is getting out about these fun opportunities to stay fit! More info…
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Family Campout Join us for a family outdoor campout at Pecan Grove Park on Saturday, March 26. Enjoy fishing, kayaking and other camping activities during the day – then relax while staff grills up hamburgers, hotdogs and s’mores for dessert! Come enjoy a night under the stars with your friends, neighbors and loved ones. More info…
Parks & Recreation is going live on their Instagram page on March 20 at 1:30p! They will go over FAQ, and cover any questions that might come up during the live video for the Family Campout. Follow them on Instagram!
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Parks Maintenance Team Readys Park for Picnic Season! Bring on the Spring! This week, crews utilized existing resources efficiently by retro fitting new tabletops and bench seats on this picnic table frame at Lakeside Park.
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Spring Farmers Market Begins April 7
Spring is almost here, and so is our local Farmers Market. Visit with local vendors while shopping for produce, flowers, meats, honey, eggs, and more! New this year – we’ve added a craft market every other Thursday, featuring local artists will offering their handmake crafts. More info and to become a vendor…
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Engineering Department News
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Lakeland Heights Neighborhood Reconstruction Contractors installed additional 8” sanitary sewer line on Kyle Road. 3 new sanitary sewer manholes and 220 LF of storm sewer were also installed this week.
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Lakeshore/ Windridge Alley Reconstruction Aushill Construction has completed the project! The final walkthrough was conducted March 16 and the alley cleaned up and reopened to the residents.
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Lake Highland Trail
North Rock Construction Is scheduled to receive the remaining 500 LF of pedestrian handrailing along with the bollards next week. The final walkthrough will be scheduled when these items are installed. We can't wait!
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SH66 East Sanitary Sewer Line Phase 1ANA Site Construction set 6 out of 13 manholes and installed another 212 LF of 30” sewer line this week, despite the weather. The cured in place pipe is scheduled to be installed on 3/23.
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Next Week's City Meetings City Council
Regular meetings occur the first and third Tuesdays of every month. The next meeting is... April 5 @ 7:30pm (Work Session 5:30pm - check agenda once posted) Watch meetings live on RTN16 (cable channel 16) or online... More info...
Boards and Commissions
Senior Advisory Board Meeting- March 21 @ 10:00am Rowlett Youth Advisory Council - March 21 @ 6:30pm Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting- March 22 @ 6:30pm Agendas and Meeting Minutes Meeting Calendar
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Your one-stop-shop for assistance!Call 972.412.6100 for in-person help.
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