May CHNA Yard of the Month

Congratulations to Frances Uhrik of 1304 Lamp Post, Cottonwood's May Yard of the Month!

Click on Image to Enlarge

The Uhrik family will receive a $25 gift card from Calloway's Nursery.

Confirmed from a reliable source, Frances has been working really hard on her yard this season! Congratulations!

Calloway's Nursery-Tips for May

Callaway's Nursrey help to sponsor the CHNA Newsletter. If you have questions or needs they are very helpful. Here is their tip for May:

Timely Tip for Calloway?s Gardeners in May:

Texas is home to nearly 5,000 native plant species due to the vast and diverse geography of our great state! Often people envision "native plants" with Mesquites and cacti but many of our basic landscape plants are native to Texas. After the Summer of 2011, gardeners are looking for Texas tough plants in their landscapes.  Native plants tolerate our Texas Summer heat better than most, require less water, need less mowing, provide habitats for birds, butterflies and other wildlife, protect the soil and save on fertilizers and insecticides.

Add native trees to your landscape and enjoy the colorful blooms from the Texas Mountain Laurel or Desert Willow. Select Texas Sage for its purple Summer flowers or the Red Yucca with its red spike-like bloom as additions to your landscape. Native grasses such as Mexican Feathergrass or Big Muhly add another different texture and look to the garden. Also, don't forget the reliable perennials for providing Texas tough color! Blackfoot Daisy, Gaura, Coneflower and many of your Salvias are native to Texas and will provide color year after year once they are established.
Don't forget Mom this month! Color in May comes from more than a bouquet of blossoms for Mom on Mother's Day!  Plan ahead and give that special person a living bouquet that changes with the seasons. Buy your mom a native plant and know that you are making her garden a more enjoyable place for both her and the birds and butterflies.
If you need specific help with your next gardening idea or project, please join us for FREE in-store gardening clinics this month. Clinics begin at 10:15 a.m. and are facilitated at every store.
Saturday, May 5: Those Blooming Shrubs (10:15 a.m.)Evergreens may provide the backbone, but Azaleas, Hydrangeas, Camellias and Roses add the ?pop? that colors your garden!

Saturday, May 12: Flowers for Mom (10:15 a.m.) Celebrate Mother?s Day with living plants in a container garden arrangement!

Saturday, May 19: Native Plants, Texas Style! (10:15 a.m.) Plants adapted to Texas weather?that conserve water, provide habitat and thrive here!

Saturday, May 26: Basic Landscape Design (10:15 a.m.) Experts walk you through soil preparation, plant selection and design concepts. 


For more information, visit www.calloways.com. Hope to see you in the garden soon!

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING

The City of Richardson

Parks & Recreation Department

RICHARDSON HEIGHTS NEIGHBORHOOD SMALL PARK

PUBLIC INPUT MEETING

Thursday, May 24, 2012

6:30 – 8:00 p.m.

Richardson Civic Center - City Hall

Richardson Room

411 W. Arapaho Rd., Richardson, TX 75080

The meeting will provide public input for the concept design of the new mini-neighborhood park in the Richardson Heights and Cottonwood Heights area.

Richardson Parks & Recreation

411 W. Arapaho Road, Suite 208

Richardson, Texas 75081

(972) 744-4300

www.cor.net/parks

Mark Your Calendars!!!!

Mark Your Calendars!!!!

The Richardson Police Department in partnership with the North Texas Auto Theft Task Force and Target will be offering a free VIN Etching/H.E.A.T registration event on Thursday May 24th, 2012 from 10am to 2pm. The event will be held in the south parking lot of the Target store located at 601 S. Plano Road, Richardson, Texas.  
The VIN etching and H.E.A.T. programs are used to help deter auto theft.

See the below attachment for more details.
http://chnablog.cottonwoodhna.org/PreNNOEventFlyer.pdf

New City Council Lines

The City Charter requires the election of seven City Council Members, four elected to “places” that correspond to geographic districts and three elected at-large. The Charter also requires that the City Council appoint a Redistricting Commission every 10 years (after the U.S. Census is completed) to review the district boundaries and ensure population equality. Current districts must be realigned because population growth in some areas of the city has led to disparities in the population distribution among districts.

On January 30, the City Council appointed the City Plan Commission to serve as the Council District Boundary Commission. Since then, members have met biweekly to decide on district boundary criteria and to review options for new boundaries. The April 24 hearing will allow commissioners to receive public input on the proposals.

The Commission has narrowed its consideration to three options. A new City web page allows members of the community to review these options for new City Council district boundaries in advance of the public hearing, along with background on the Commission’s work.

New district boundaries must be approved no later than July 30, 2012.

Link to Webpage with Detailed Redistricting Information

http://www.cor.net/index.aspx?page=1565

Details on the Public Hearing

Date: Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Location: Council Chambers, Richardson City Hall, 411 W. Arapaho Rd., Richardson, Texas 75080

Procedure: Three options have been selected for consideration at the public hearing. All interested parties are encouraged to attend this hearing. Attendees will be provided an opportunity to speak in favor or in opposition to each of the options.

Providing Feedback Prior to the Public Hearing

If you are unable to attend the public hearing and would like your opinion to be part of the record, you may send a written reply prior to the date of the hearing to:

Council District Boundary Commission
P.O. Box 830309
Richardson, TX 75083-0309


Or you may contact the Development Services Department at (972) 744-4240 or redistricting@cor.gov.

________________________________________________
Keith B. Krum, AICP
Senior Planner
Development Services Department - City of Richardson
PO Box 830309 - Richardson, Texas 75083-0309
972-744-4240
972-744-5804 Fax

Carefully Select Home Repair Contractors

Although Richardson was lucky, comparatively speaking, no doubt there will be an influx of companies looking to help out and repair any storm damage.  The Attorney General of Texas has a document worth reading/sharing, to refresh yourself how to reduce your chances of becoming a victim of a home repair scam.

https://www.oag.state.tx.us/AG_Publications/pdfs/disaster.pdf

Call 9-1-1 to report anyone suspicious in your neighborhood and keep an eye out for each other.

Officer Tommy Davis
Richardson Police Department
Crime Prevention Unit
972-744-4773

www.facebook.com/RichardsonPD
www.twitter.com/RichardsonPD

April 2012 Yard of the Month - Joe Stephenson

Congratulations to the April Yard of the Month Winner! Joe Stephenson of 1423 Stagecoach will receive a $25 gift card from Calloway's Nursery. Congratulations, Joe! Your Spring flowers are gorgeous!

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CHNA Election Information from Chris Davis

Every decade, after the census is taken, redistricting takes place to balance the population in the various governmental districts.  

Even the City of Richardson has done redistricting, and our own Barry Hand was on the committee!  You can learn more about that here:  http://www.cor.net/gcsearch.aspx?q=redistricting.

Dallas County Commissioner Districts were redistricted by the Commissioners Court.  All of Richardson was in District 1 for decades....under Commissioner Jim Jackson and then under Commissioner Maurine Dickey.  Now, most of Richardson is in the new District 2 (Commissioner Mike Cantrell) and the southeastern portion of Richardson is in the new District 1 (Commissioner Maurine Dickey).  Commissioner Dickey would be on the ballot this year, but she is term-limiting herself and will not be running for re-election.  She has endorsed a candidate who was at our HOA meeting last night, Cecile Newberry Fernandez (www.cecilefernandez.com) who is running a contested race on the Republican Primary ballot on Tuesday, May 29th.  See new Commissioner districts at link below entitled:

Proposed 2011 Precincts with Commissioner Districts

Because the Justice Department and federal courts (San Antonio) have injected themselves into our redistricting process, we did not have our usual March primary election.  The primary election is May 29th.  You can go to a couple of Dallas County website to see maps, new precinct numbers, early voting information and other election information. (www.dallascounty.org & www.dalcoelections.org)

At www.dallascounty.org you can find a link called:

PROPOSED 2011 PRECINCTS

Notice of Proposed Boundary Changes for Dallas County, Texas

Brief Explanations for Dallas County 2011 Precinct Changes

Proposed 2011 Precincts with Commissioner Districts

Proposed 2011 Precincts with Legislative Districts

Proposed 2011 Precincts with US Congressional Districts

Proposed 2011 Precincts with Texas House of Representatives Districts

Proposed 2011 Precincts with Texas Senate Districts

Proposed 2011 Precincts with State Board of Education Districts

Proposed 2011 Precincts with Justice of the Peace Districts Here is a summary of our new precinct and elected representative district numbers: The precinct where Dover is located was formerly 1708.....it is now 1500. The precinct in CHNA just east of the creek was formerly 1709.....it is now 1501 (The second link in the grouping above gives all precinct changes & explanations,  Brief Explanations for Dallas County 2011 Precinct Changes) Richardson was formerly in Texas House District 112 with Angie Chen Button as our Representative.  We are now in Texas House District 102 with Stefani Carter as our new State Representative.   Her website is http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/member-page/?district=102. For years we were in State Senate District 16 with John Carona as our Senator.  All of Richardson has now been moved into State Senate District 8,  a Collin County district represented for years by Sen. Florence Shapiro.  She is retiring from the Senate and State Rep. Ken Paxton, from McKinney, will likely win that seat and become our new State Senator. Our U. S. Congressional District remains the same, CD 32, and Pete Sessions will remain our U. S. Congressman. His website is:  http://sessions.house.gov/ U. S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, one of Texas' two U. S. Senators, is retiring and there are many people running for her seat.  There are 9 candidates on the Republican primary ballot, and 4 on the Democrat primary ballot.  In November, the two winners will be on the ballot to determine our next U. S. Senator.    To see all of the candidates on both parties' primary ballots click on:  http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/index.shtml. TO FIND OUT MORE DETAILED DALLAS COUNTY ELECTION INFORMATION, GO TO THIS LINK: www.dalcoelections.org There is a ton of information on this site, take some time and explore the different links. To learn more about getting involved in the political process on the local level check out these links: Dallas County Republican Party:  www.dallasgop.org Dallas County Democrat Party: www.dallasdemocrats.org Richardson Tea Party:  http://richardsonteaparty.org/ Libertarian Party of Dallas County:  http://lpdallas.org/ Go to these sites and find their Party Platforms, which are their statement of beliefs and policy positions.   Find the party that lines up with your beliefs and opinions and get involved. "We must all hang together, or, assuredly, we shall all hang separately."  Benjamin Franklin at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776 "(T)he foundation of our national policy will be laid in the pure and immutable principles of private morality; ...the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained..."   George Washington, First Inaugural, April 30 1789 "Can the liberties of a nation be sure when we remove their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people, that these liberties are a gift from God?  Thomas Jefferson "Let us therefore animate and encourage each other, and show the world that a free man, contending for his liberty on his own ground,  is superior to any slavish mercenary on earth."  George Washington, July 2, 1776

CHNA Spring 2012 Meeting

Full House! About 100 People Attended

The CHNA meeting last night was had great attendance, full house. Most of the council members made an appearance with the exception of Omar and Hartley. Steve Mitchell and Bob Townsend stayed to the end giving residents a chance to speak with them about concerns. Solomon, Dunn and Maczka left earlier after making a cameo appearance.

5 of Our 7 Fearless Leaders

The was only one "Hot Topic" issue that came up. Some residents have concerns about the Atmos contractors who are replacing the natural gas lines. Jeanne Hooker (jeanne.hooker@atmosenergy.com) is the Atmos  customer care contact, and her customer service number is 1-888-286-6700.

Also talked about was the "Pocket Park" on Weatherred. It should be completed middle of next year. This has been something Andrew Laska has been involved with. He was at the meeting also.

Several Door Prizes Given Away

There are new voting districts. Chris Davis gave an interesting presentation on the new districts and how they are numbered. Our part of Richardson will have Stefani Carter for our house representative. I didn't take notes so can't repeat much of what Chris said. If you want more information about the districts you can contact her at chris.davis@cottonwoodhna.org.

It was a good meeting and if you didn't make this one, hopefully you will be able to make the fall meeting.

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The New CHNA Officers for 2012

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Last night at our spring 2012 CHNA meeting membership voted on the following people for the 2012 officers of Cottonwood Heights Neighborhood Association:

2012 CHNA Officers

Executive Committee

 President - Barry Hand

Email - Barry.Hand@cottonwoodhna.org

 Vice President - Jason Lemons

Email - Jason.Lemons@cottonwoodhna.org

 Secretary - Suzanne Juliussen

Email - Suzanne.Juliussen@cottonwoodhna.org

 Treasurer - Anne Bienfang

Email - Anne.Bienfang@cottonwoodhna.org

Committee Chairs

 Civic Co-Chair (COR) David Knepper

Email - David.Knepper@cottonwoodhna.org

 Civic Co-Chair (RISD) Larry Breazeale

Email - Larry.Breazeale@cottonwoodhna.org

 Environmental Chair - Richard Stubing & Karen Tanker

Email Karen.Tanker@cottonwoodhna.org

Communications Chair - TBD

 Programs Chair - Leona Hensley & Joe Stephenson

Email - Leona.Hinsley@cottonwoodhna.org

 Crime Patrol Co-Chair - Tom Norman & David Clark

Email - Tom.Norman@cottonwoodhna.org

 Membership Chair - Chris Davis & Jimmy Ratcliffe

Email - Chris.Davis@cottonwoodhna.org

 Publicity Chair - David Chenoweth

Email - David.Chenoweth@cottonwoodhna.org 


If you have any questions about CHNA please feel free to contact them by email.

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March 2012 CHNA Newsletter

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Here is the link to the most recent Cottonwood Heights newsletter. Enjoy!

http://chnablog.cottonwoodhna.org/March2012CHNAissueFINAL3-23-12.pdf

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CHNA Meeting This Coming Thursday - 3/29/2012

Please make plans to attend the spring CHNA Meeting, Thursday, March 29, 7PM at Dover and help us have a good representation for the neighborhood. We will quickly layout some great updates and new details on happenings in and around the neighborhood. We will begin sharply at 7:00PM and be done by 8:00PM.

Please help us get the word out and then come early and get settled. We will quickly elect new officers and recognize a couple of new Yards of the Month. It may be yours!

Exciting new updates on the following items:

� Recent updates from RPD and the Crime Patrol - you will want to hear this.
� Construction schedule for four 2012 Bridge Improvements, road paving and the new Heights Neighborhood Park
� Heights Park Pool, Gymnastics and Rec Center updates
� New citywide Garage Sale policy
� Candidates and info on our new legislative district boundaries. What does that mean to us?
� Recent status of Beltline, Central Expressway and West Spring Valley Redevelopment
� Continuing success stories at Exemplary Dover Elementary
Select Council and COR Staff Members will be with us to answer specific questions you may have about issues in the city.

Neighborhood meetings are a great way to connect with neighbors of all ages. Please join us! Thursday, March 29, 7PM at Dover

Barry Hand, CHNA President

RPD Weekly Crime Report - 2/26/2012

Weekly Crime Tip: Install 4 inch screws on the door frames and the strike plates. Do this on all your doors including the inside garage door. This will slow a potential burglar down and make him choose another target.


The Richardson Police Department has a new Property Inventory Program to assist in the recovery or replacement of personal property should it be lost as a result of theft, fire or other catastrophic event. For more information on this free program click here PDPRevention.aspx?id=12238.


See who/what RPD is currently looking for at PDInvestigations.aspx?id=10547.


Certain offenses that occurred in Richardson may now be reported on-line for your convenience. To find out more information about on-line reporting or to file an on-line police report, go to: Police.aspx?id=6988.


For the current crime statistics, go to DownloadAsset.aspx?id=6028 and for historical information, go to police.aspx?id=4580.


The information below lists incidents reported in the previous 7 day period. For more history, visit crime.html.


The following information is meant to give citizens a general overview of their area. It is not a comprehensive list. Some types of crimes (for example, those involving juvenile suspects or victims) have been omitted. For questions about your area of Richardson, please contact the Crime Prevention Office, 972-744-4955.


Sector: Cottonwood Heights


Date Reported: 2/22/2012 9:21:53 AM
IRA: 1610 UCR Code: 220
Offense Description: 220 Burglary/breaking & Entering
Block: 800 of W Spring Valley Rd
Service Number: 201200021029


Date Reported: 2/22/2012 9:18:03 AM
IRA: 1610 UCR Code: 23F
Offense Description: BURGLARY MOTOR VEHICLE 
Block: 900 of Blue Lake Cir
Service Number: 201200021027


Date Reported: 2/21/2012 9:18:31 AM
IRA: 0800 UCR Code: 290
Offense Description: 290 Destruction/damage/vand Propty
Block: 900 of Regency Ct
Service Number: 201200020614


Date Reported: 2/20/2012 8:25:18 PM
IRA: 0800 UCR Code: 290
Offense Description: 290 Destruction/damage/vand Propty
Block: 1300 of Weston Way
Service Number: 201200020433


Date Reported: 2/20/2012 2:56:58 AM
IRA: 1610 UCR Code: 220
Offense Description: 220 Burglary/breaking & Entering
Block: 800 of W Spring Valley Rd
Service Number: 201200020142


Date Reported: 2/18/2012 5:49:57 PM
IRA: 0800 UCR Code: 220
Offense Description: 220 Burglary/breaking & Entering
Block: 1400 of Cavalier Dr
Service Number: 201200019728

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Geo-Tagged Enabled Photos Give Out Lots of Personal Information

There are many ways to let strangers know more information about you than you would probably prefer. One of these ways is the posting of Geo-tagged photos to an on-line account. There are many good uses for GEO-tagged photos as explained in the link to the previous link. But there is also the potential for GEO-tagging photos to be used in ways you might not know about and would be not be done.

 It seems most people have on-line accounts of some type, such as Facebook, where you can snap a picture with your GPS-enabled camera, such as a smart-phone, and then quickly and easily post it on-line. A series of photos with a GPS-equipped smartphone can be clues to helping strangers help predict where you or your child could frequent. Technology sometimes gets spooky.

The following article explains how the information from GPS-enabled photos can be used in a not so nice way: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/12/technology/personaltech/12basics.html?pagewanted=all.

There is also a TV news story that has been making the rounds about this potential problem in the following video.



I contacted one of our crime prevention officers, Tommy Davis, of the Richardson Police Department, to find out if there was anything he was aware of in Richardson concerning problems with GEO-tagged photos. He said so far in Richardson there have not been any problems with this issue. But he did say the best way to prevent a problem in the future is as simple as disabling the GPS in the smartphone or camera. So if this is a problem that concerns you about the photos you take and the information they can contain, find out how to disable the GPS for taking pictures on your particular device.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

If you have further questions, Officer Tommy Davis of the RPD would be a good contact and can answer some questions you might have. He can be reach at 972-744-4773.

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Neighborhood Integrity Report 2/20/2012

This week's report - CottonwoodHeights20120220.xls

Please find attached the latest code enforcement activity report for your neighborhood. Should you have any questions regarding any of the incidents or should you wish to report a new incident, please contact the code enforcement officer listed at the bottom of the report or Community Services at 972-744-4180.

In addition to the report, we have also included a feature that highlights a topic that may be useful to residents in your neighborhood.

Did you know Recreation Today has an online registration program? By using your Member ID and family PIN number, you can create an online account. This feature also allows you to search and pay for classes and activities. Here are some upcoming spring activities:

· Jam Band- Ages 16 and up; Thursdays, March 1-29 from 7-9 p.m. at the Heights Rec Center. This course helps discover those hidden musical talents. 

· Flashlight “Egg”streme- March 31, 7:30-9 p.m. at Breckinridge Park. This unique, annual event offers a challenging Easter egg hunt in the dark. Participants are encouraged to bring a parent, flashlight and basket. 

· Creative Writing- Ages 7-12 years; Thursdays, March 22-April 26 from 4:30-5:30 p.m. at the Huffhines Rec Center. This course allows students to explore creative writing through imagination, art, music and movement, while shaping writing skills used for standardized testing.

Not a member? You can contact the Recreation Program Registration 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling Heights 972-744-7850, or Huffhines 972-744-7881 for account assistance. Or click here to start searching for programs. For other facility information, visit cor.net/ParksAndRecreation.

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