August 26, 2022

This is the latest edition of Week In Review — a series of weekly messages from the Mayor and City Council to help Richardson residents and businesses keep up to date on events at City Hall. If you would like to sign up to receive this in a weekly e-mail click here.

Throughout the year, the City Council or City Plan Commission will hold meetings on topics of significant interest to local neighborhoods or the community in general. Links to view all City Council or City Plan Commission meeting documents that may have topics of interest to you can be found here:

City Council | City Plan Commission

Richardson City Hall Remains Closed Due to Fire Damage
Richardson City Hall is closed until further notice due to a fire that caused significant damage early Monday. Though the most severe damage is confined to the first floor, smoke and water damage has been found throughout the building.

Several departments/services have set up temporary offices at the Ray Noah Municipal Court Building; see article below for more information. City Council meetings have temporarily moved to the Library’s Basement Program Room.

Preliminary findings indicate the cause of the fire was an electrical failure--it is not believed to be connected to any storm activity that was occurring in the area at the time of the incident. It will be several months before the repairs to the building are complete.

Website: https://www.cor.net/Home/Components/News/News/6538/73

City Services Return to Normal After Fire
City services such as water payments, building and construction permitting, and Brush and Bulky Item Collection have returned to normal after the City Hall fire displaced several departments and caused a temporary outage of online services. Key departments have temporarily relocated to the Ray Noah Municipal Court Building, 2100 E. Campbell Rd., and began offering services there Wednesday. Semi-permanent relocations are also being finalized for all CIty Hall staff displaced by the fire.

Online services such as BABIC reservations were reactivated Thursday through the City’s website, www.cor.net/babic.

A “one-stop shop” has been set up in the lobby of the Court building; departments/services now available there from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday include:

• Building Inspection
• Code Enforcement
• Development Services
• Engineering
• Health
• Water Customer Service

Other departments can be reached by phone or e-mail at www.cor.net/contactus.

*Note: No services are available at City Hall, including drive-thru water bill and night drop-off payments. 

Online Water Billing, Payment Systems Restored; Late Fees Resume Oct. 1
Online water billing and payment systems are once again online after being temporarily impacted by Monday’s fire at City Hall.

There will be no late fees or impacts to service for customers with due dates that occurred during the timeframe that systems were not operating. Late fees and service disconnections will resume Oct. 1, 2022.

As the City catches up on water utility billing, customers may see additional days of water usage on their next billing cycle as field service staff catch up on reading schedules. Customers using automated bank draft or credit card services with a due date the week of Aug. 21 will see their payments applied later than usual.

Online bill pay: www.cor.net/paybill
Water Customer Service: 972-744-4120 or email customer.service@cor.gov

Tax Rate Hearing Held; Budget Hearing and Approval Scheduled for Aug. 29 At Alternate Meeting Location
A public hearing on the proposed tax rate for the 2022-23 fiscal year was held at Monday’s City Council meeting, and a hearing on the proposed 2022-23 budget is scheduled for the Aug. 29 City Council meeting. The Aug. 29 meeting starts at 6 p.m. and will be held in the Richardson Public Library’s Basement Program Room due to a Monday morning fire that caused the temporary closure of City Hall (https://www.cor.net/Home/Components/News/News/6538/73).

After the Aug. 29 hearing concludes, votes will be taken to adopt the budget and tax rate. Anyone wishing to make comments regarding the budget may attend the meeting in person or may submit comments electronically by 5 p.m. Aug. 29 by clicking here.

Video: Aug. 22 tax rate hearing
Website: www.cor.net/budget

City Council Live Meeting Broadcast
Broadcast of Monday’s City Council meeting will be available to view live online and on-demand the following day at www.cor.net/citv. The meeting will not air live on Spectrum or U-Verse due to equipment damaged during the recent City Hall fire.

Terrace, Canyon Creek Pools Close for the Season Aug. 28
There’s one more weekend left to splash in a City pool in 2022—the summer swim season will wrap up Sunday, Aug. 28 as the Canyon Creek and Terrace pools close at 8 p.m. Until then, swimmers can cool off at those pools Saturday and Sunday from 1-8 p.m.

All other Richardson pools have closed for the season.

Website: www.cor.net/pools

“Richardson Reads One Book” Author Lecture Tickets Available Aug. 29
Free tickets to attend the in-person September lecture by 2022 Richardson Reads One Book author Imbolo Mbue will be available beginning Monday, Aug. 29 starting at 9 a.m. at the Library’s 1st Floor Information Desk. Mbue will discuss her book, “Behold the Dreamers,” Tuesday, Sept. 13 at 7:30 p.m. in the Richardson High School auditorium.

Website: www.cor.net/onebook, www.facebook.com/RROBTX

Peanut Butter Drive Begins Sept. 1
Richardson is again participating in the annual North Texas Food Bank Peanut Butter Drive, held each year in September in conjunction with Hunger Action Month to benefit local food banks. Peanut butter is perpetually on food bank lists of most-needed foods, since it’s nutritious, kid-friendly and high in protein.

Last year’s event collected more than 347,000 pounds of peanut butter; this year’s goal is 500,000 pounds.

Local donations may be taken directly to Richardson’s Network of Community Ministries, which operates a Mobile Food Pantry and other food programs and is a recipient of the drive. Drop off jars at Network’s new facility, 1500 International Pkwy., during regular food donation hours (Mondays-Wednesday 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Thursdays 8 a.m.-7 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m.-2 p.m.) or give online through Amazon here.

Website: www.ntfb.org/peanutbutterdrive

MRMC Breaks Ground on New Building
A ground-breaking ceremony was held Wednesday at Methodist Richardson Medical Center (MRMC) to mark the impending start of a $46 million emergency department expansion. Richardson Mayor Paul Voelker and other members of the City Council were in attendance, as were Richardson’s Police and Fire chiefs and Ken Hutchenrider, City Council Member and President of MRMC.

The project will add about 25,000 square feet of space to treat trauma patients and 18 new patient suites to the existing emergency department, doubling its current footprint. It will also include 80,000 square feet for the hospital’s new pharmacy, as well as laboratory services.

Construction is set to begin this fall with an anticipated completion date in 2024. This is the third major expansion since the hospital opened in 2014.

Utility Work Closes Lane on Eastbound Renner West of US 75
The right lane of eastbound Renner Road between Alma Road and US 75 may be closed to traffic from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. as a water leak is repaired. The work is expected to be complete by late November.

www.cor.net/projects

“Clear the Shelters” Continues through Aug. 31
The Richardson Animal Shelter is waiving adoption fees through Aug. 31 in observance of “Clear the Shelters,” a now-nationwide annual adoption and donation event that the Shelter helped start in 2014. Shelters waive adoption fees and offer other promotions to encourage pet adoption during August, a time of year when shelters are particularly full due to factors such as spring kitten births as well as the usual summer uptick of people moving to new homes and unable to take along their pets. Event sponsor Hill’s Pet Nutrition will match all monetary donations up to $20,000.

Website: www.cor.net/animalshelter
Donate: https://store.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/collections/clear-the-shelters

CityLine LIVE Fall Outdoor Weekly Music Series Begins Sept. 2
CityLine Plaza, 1160 State St.
Admission: Free (parking is also free)
Fridays and Saturdays, Sept. 2-Oct. 29
6-9 p.m.

Live music is back at CityLine every Friday and Saturday night in September and October. Enjoy a variety of genres on the one-acre plaza including Americana, rock, country, blues, soul and folk. Tables and chairs are provided, and lawn chairs, blankets, picnics and dogs are welcome. For a complete schedule of performers, visit the CityLine website.

Website: www.citylinedfw.com

 
900 Civic Center Dr., 75080

Adulting 101 Program for Teens Aug. 27: Basic Car Maintenance
First Floor Program Room
Admission: Free
Saturday, Aug. 27
3-4 p.m.

Teens ages 13-18 are invited to learn the basics of caring for a car, presented by the Dallas College/Eastfield Auto Body Technology Department.

Lunchtime Lecture Aug. 30: “Richardson History Mistakes and Surprises”
1st Floor Program Room
Admission: Free
Tuesday, Aug. 30
11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

Bring lunch and listen to Dr. Steven Butler talk about how he discovered much about Richardson history that other historians got wrong and things that surprised him during his research. For adults and teens. 

www.cor.net/library

At The Eisemann Center:

• Javed Ali and Priyanka Mitra in Concert Aug. 28
  Hill Performance Hall
  Tickets: $39-$300
  Sunday, Aug. 28
  7:30 p.m.
  
  Indian playback singer Javed Ali performs in a concert that also features singer, actress and model Priyanka Mitra. 

Unless otherwise noted, tickets to Eisemann Center events are available at the Eisemann Center Ticket Office.

Call: 972-744-4650
Website: www.eisemanncenter.com

“The Hollow” Opens Tonight at Richardson Theatre Centre
Richardson Theatre Centre, 518 W. Arapaho Rd., Ste. 113
Tickets: $20-$22
Aug. 26-Sept. 11
Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.

In this Agatha Christie mystery, an unhappy game of romantic follow-the-leader explodes into murder one weekend at The Hollow, home of Sir Henry and Lucy Angkatell.

Website: www.richardsontheatrecentre.net

www.cor.net/cpi
www.artsinrichardson.com

“Don’t Waste a Drop”: NTMWD Offers Free Online Drip Irrigation Class Aug. 30
Online
Cost: Free (register by Aug. 29 here)
Tuesday, Aug. 30
Noon-1 p.m.

Drip irrigation is one of the most efficient ways to water plants, as it follows one of the most important principles of efficient watering: low and slow. Learn how to save water in this class that will provide an overview of drip irrigation including how and where drip can be used in the landscape, different components that can be used to build your custom drip system, and tips for making simple conversions. Speaker: Dean Minchillo, Extension Program Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife.

Time to Harvest Rain
With extensive rainfall occurring in North Texas this past week, and more predicted for next week, it’s a good time to add rainwater harvesting to your water conservation measures. Rainwater harvesting can range from catching rain in a bucket set outside to setting up a system that regularly funnels rainfall as it comes off the roof of a home into a rain barrel.

There are many tutorials online for DIY rainwater harvesting, including the free “Beginner’s Guide to Rainwater Harvesting” posted earlier this summer by Texas A&M AgriLife. AgriLife experts say that for every inch of rain that falls, around 0.62 gallons of water can be captured per square foot of roof (in other words, a 1,000 square-foot roof can produce as much as 620 gallons of water for harvest with 1 inch of rain!).

Keep in mind that harvested rainwater is not suitable for drinking but can be used for tasks such as watering plants and washing cars. Also, systems that capture 400 gallons of water or less must be registered with the City at no charge. Larger systems require a permit.

More information: http://www.cor.net/rainbarrel
https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2022/06/08/beginners-guide-to-harvesting-rainwater/  

www.cor.net/EPI

Crew Chief ($48,504 - $65,268 Salary)
The Public Services Department is currently looking for an individual with experience in construction and/or maintenance of water distribution and waste collection systems. A Texas Commercial Driver’s License, Class A is required.

Custodial Supervisor ($45,060 - $63,216 Salary)
The Public Services Department is currently looking for an individual who can carefully supervises and evaluates daily and long-range work plans of subordinate personnel involved in providing cleaning/disinfecting as well as event setups/breakdowns in city buildings. Texas Class C driver’s license is required.

Custodian ($31,632 - $36,228 Salary)
The Public Services Department is currently looking for individuals who can clean facilities and perform event setups and breakdowns. A Texas Driver’s License, Class C is required.

For other job opportunities, visit www.cor.net/jobs

Animal Shelter Pet of the Week

Ilenium and Slander are waiting for you! These two sweet rabbits were surrendered together this month as their owner could not keep them due to moving. They are both females that we think are around 1 year old. They like it if you pet them between their ears. If you are interested in them, stop by the shelter to visit. We still are in Clear The Shelter month, so their adoption fees are FREE. Our fees are waived through Aug. 31, so please come in to see our pets. You might in find your new best friend!

For information about animals available for adoption, visit the Animal Shelter’s web page here.

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