The Yard of the Month contest has started up again.  This month’s winners are the Wagners at 619 Twilight.  See what’s going on here.

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HPNA WILDFLOWER PATIO — SUNDAY, MAY 20th

FREE PIZZA FOR HPNA MEMBERS
PLUS…KIDS UNDER 12 GET IN FREE!
COME TO THE RICHARDSON WILDFLOWER! FESTIVAL ON SUNDAY, MAY 20th FOR THE HPNA PATIO PARTY!

FREE PIZZA FOR HPNA MEMBERS
PLUS…KIDS UNDER 12 GET IN FREE!

The HPNA board has planned what we know will be a very fun and inexpensive day for your family! We have secured a patio area at this year’s Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival exclusively for our use.

We have 100 Wildflower! tickets to sell priced for Richardson residents at only $10 for a single all-day pass. And Sunday, May 20th is a kids under 12 get-in-free day!The patio is located near the Viewpoint Bank Stage. Convenient parking is $5 and we will have some parking passes available if you want to purchase them in advance. Parking passes are for the green parking area close to the HPNA Patio.

PLUS…HPNA will have FREE PIZZA for HPNA members from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, the 20th, so purchase your Wildflower! tickets from HPNA, and come to the HPNA Patio to get some free pizza! It will be a great way to spend the day with your family! (go to www.wildflowerfestival.com for a schedule of performers).

HOW TO GET YOUR HPNA WILDFLOWER! TICKETS…
send an email to contact@heightspark.com to purchase tickets.
Tell us how many tickets you need and we’ll make arrangements to get them to you!

PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS FROM HPNA AND COME HAVE A GREAT TIME!

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CITY COUNCIL APPROVES THE ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE MOVIE THEATER
AT RICHARDSON HEIGHTS SHOPPING CENTER

The City Council unanimously passed the Alamo Drafthouse Movie Theater proposal on Monday night. You can read all about it in today’s Dallas Morning News or in several locations online.

This is a big deal for Richardson and an even bigger deal for our area! We feel this theater will enliven the Richardson Heights Shopping Center and bring us some additional quality shopping and dining in the near future. It’s just the type of quality infusion that our neighborhood perimeters need yet it fits the character of our ever-popular neighborhood.

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GROUND BREAKING!

Heights Park Rec Center/Aquatics Facility + Gymnastics Center

Yesterday, Tuesday, May 15th, City dignitaries attended the Ground Breaking for the new Heights Park Rec Center and Aquatics Facility as well as the new Gymnastics Center!

The architects and developers have set an aggressive schedule and say the new facilities will be completed in May of 2013 — one year!

Work is starting today at Heights Park so it will be fun to watch the process and progress. And we’re lucky to have Stephen Springs, our HPNA Civic Chair, as one of the lead architects on the project. We know that he and his family will be keeping a close eye on the project!

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FLAG LEASE PROGRAM

HPNA has received an anonymous donation to the Flag Lease Program to be used for any Heights Park neighborhood residents who would like to participate in the program but who are on a very limited budget and can’t afford the HPNA membership in addition to the $35 for the flag program.

If you or one of your neighbors falls into this category, please contact Janet DePuy for details. All information will be kept confidential.

Here’s my contact info:
Janet DePuy
President, HPNA
contact@heightspark.com

Don’t miss out on the Second Annual Epiphany Crawfish Boil at The Richardson Church of the Epiphany at Custer and Greenleaf, out near our amazing neighborhood garden. Tickets include all the fresh crawfish and cajun sausage you can eat and cold adult beverages to wash it down. For the kids we’ll have a hot dog meal and bounce house. Live music playing the blues and bluegrass. Invite your friends and neighbors to join us in the party. All proceeds go to Epiphany Missions. Tickets are $20 adults, $5 kids. More info: http://epiphanycrawfish.eventbrite.com/

FREE PIZZA FOR HPNA MEMBERS
PLUS…KIDS UNDER 12 GET IN FREE!

Wildflower! tickets go on sale April 16th, but if you get your Wildflower! tickets from HPNA (while they last), you also get a free lunch on Sunday, May 20th. See below for details.

WANT A FUN AND INEXPENSIVE DAY WITH THE FAMILY?

COME TO THE RICHARDSON WILDFLOWER! FESTIVAL
ON SUNDAY, MAY 20th FOR THE
HPNA PATIO PARTY!

FREE PIZZA FOR HPNA MEMBERS
PLUS…KIDS UNDER 12 GET IN FREE!

The HPNA board has planned what we know will be a very fun and inexpensive day for your family! We have secured a patio area at this year’s Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival exclusively for our use.

We have 100 Wildflower! tickets to sell priced for Richardson residents at only $10 for a single all-day pass. And Sunday, May 20th is a kids under 12 get-in-free day!The patio is located near the Viewpoint Bank Stage. Convenient parking is $5 and we will have some parking passes available if you want to purchase them in advance. Parking passes are for the green parking area close to the HPNA Patio.

PLUS…HPNA will have FREE PIZZA for HPNA members from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, the 20th, so purchase your Wildflower! tickets from HPNA, and come to the HPNA Patio to get some free pizza! It will be a great way to spend the day with your family! (go to www.wildflowerfestival.comfor a schedule of performers).

HOW TO GET YOUR HPNA WILDFLOWER! TICKETS…
send an email to contact@heightspark.com to purchase tickets.
Tell us how many tickets you need and we’ll make arrangements to get them to you!

PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS FROM HPNA AND COME HAVE A GREAT TIME!

YARD OF THE MONTH COMPETITION STARTS IN MAY!

Spring has sprung and it’s time to start the competition! The Yard of the Month judges will be looking for creative, beautiful gardens to award the YOM prize at the first part of May. Judges look for the quality of the lawn, use of annuals and perennials, color and texture, landscaping features, water conservation and the overall look and feel of the yard.

You can nominate any of your neighbors as well as your own garden. Submit nominations at http://www.heightspark.com/yard-of-the-month or email yom@heightspark.com.

Our YOM program is a valuable tool in keeping our neighborhood more beautiful and it gives you the opportunity to get out and meet your neighbors, showcase your creativity and satisfy your competitive nature!

Nominations should be submitted by the 24th of each month so the judges have time to vote. The winner is announced around the first of each month.

And continuing its partnership with our YOM program, Under the Sun Garden Center will once again provide a $25.00 gift certificate to each YOM winner.

FREE

VIN ETCHING and H.E.A.T. Registration
10 a.m.- 2 p.m. Thursday, May 24, 2012
Target
601 S. Plano Rd., Richardson, TX
(South parking lot of Target)

The Richardson Police Department in partnership with the North Texas Auto Theft Task Force and Target, will be offering free VIN etchings and conducting H.E.A.T. registrations on Thursday, May 24, 2012. This is a pre-National Night Out 2012 event.

Bring your car to Target at 601 S. Plano Rd. in Richardson, between 10am and 2pm, to have your car’s VIN etched into each window. VIN etching is used to deter auto theft. Car thieves who tend to avoid vehicles that have the glass etched with a VIN. VIN etching reduces the criminal’s profit associated with replacing a vehicle’s etched windows and the fact that such windows are worthless for resale.

The H.E.A.T. (Help End Auto Theft) registration program places a sticker on your vehicle and registers it in a statewide database used by law enforcement in Texas. H.E.A.T. registration allows Police to stop the vehicle if it is operating between the hours of 1:00am and 5:00am to determine if the driver is the owner. The event is conducted on a first come first served basis, only takes minutes to complete, and is free of charge. If it should rain, the event will be rescheduled and details will be published at a later time. Contact the Richardson Police Department’s Crime Prevention Unit for additional information at 972.744.4955. FREE

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Thursday, July 19th; 7:00 p.m. HPNA General Meeting

We have a great program lined up for you! An expert Arborist will come speak to us about tree care! Read more about the program in the Newsletter coming to you the first weekend in May.

ARE YOU A MEMBER?

Visit www.heightspark.com/membership and complete a membership form. Just $20/year.

• April/May: Look for HPNA Newsletter
• May 20: WildFlower! Patio Party! (Buy your WildFlower! tickets from us)
• July 19: General Meeting and program (First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall)
• September: Look for HPNA Newsletter
• October: OctoberFest in Heights Park (date TBD)

HPNA WILDFLOWER PATIO SPONSOR — SUNDAY, MAY 20th

Coming in our next Newsletter (beginning of May) will be information about how you can buy your WildFlower! tickets from HPNA and have access to the HPNA sponsored patio on Sunday, May 20th throughout the day. We’ll have free pizza and soft drinks for you and a great place to sit and listen to the music, take a break from your WildFlower! activities, and just have a great time.

The lineup has been announced and includes Nelly, The Commodores, Chic with Nile Rodgers, Le Freak, Augustana, Dashboard Confessional, Lou Gramm the Voice of Foreigner, Joe Walsh, Neal McCoy and Mark Chestnutt.

Read about this event in our May Newsletter…..

FLAG LEASE PROGRAM

If you wish to participate in the Flag Program, the fee for 2012 is still $35, but you must be an HPNA member to participate in the program (for 5 flag-flying holidays). If you participated in 2011, you must sign up again for 2012. This is a yearly program. To participate in the Flag Program, complete a membership form and check the appropriate box. www.heightspark.com/membership.

We’re also thinking about instituting an address curb painting program for members only so stay tuned for that!

DINE SMART DINE LOCAL

The Dine Smart Dine Local program is a joint initiative between the Richardson Chamber and the Richardson Convention & Visitors bureau to increase local and regional awareness of our Richardson area restaurants by offering money saving discounts to residents.

Signing up is easy. Just enter your email address and click on the subscribe button and you’ll receive a confirmation you are registered in the program. Each Friday, you’ll receive a Restaurant of the Week offer sent directly to you via email. These offers are good for one week beginning on Friday and ending on Thursday.

You can have Restaurant of the Week discounts and offers sent directly to you via weekly emails or visit the Dine Smart Dine Local site for year round offers from participating establishments.

http://discovery.cor.gov/Public/cvb/DineSmart.nsf/NominationForm?OpenForm

Join your neighbors for an
“Old Fashioned Christmas Celebration”
(Hay Ride departs from 811 Lockwood)

Ride through the streets of Heights Park singing your favorite Christmas Carols. You may ‘jump on’ at any time during the ride. We will travel northbound on each street between Thompson & Floyd starting on Lockwood and ending at Heights Park. The hayride ends at 811 Lockwood and you will need to make arrangements to get back home if you jump on in the neighborhood.

8:00 p.m.
Join us back at 811 Lockwood for dessert…
roasted marshmallows, S’Mores and hot chocolate.

Julie Anders

Photos by Nathan Beach.

Heights Park Oktoberfest 2011
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22ND
@ HEIGHTS PARK
11:00AM – 1:00PM

Bounce House, face painter, bobbing for apples, horseshoes, free food!

We’ll have a pumpkin decorating contest with prizes awarded for the SCARIEST, FUNNIEST, and MOST CREATIVE pumpkins!

If you want to decorate a carved pumpkin, please carve it at home. We’ll have other decorating supplies on hand for you.

The Epiphany and Heights Park N.A. Neighborhood Garden was expanded on Saturday, Sept 24th. There was a big turnout of people helping and now the garden is almost double the size!

You may email Margaret at paulmiller4@att.net to reserve a plot.

The plots are 20′ x5′ x 6″. Eatable food is to be grown in the plots. The plot cost for 1 year is $75. We ask that you donate 10% of your produce to be given to Network. This spring’s produce taken to Network has been 500 pounds.

Come join the fun and meet neighbors and friends.
Margaret Miller, 972-238-8960

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT — TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4TH

Deadline for registering to have a police officer at your NNO block party was last week, but let us know if you plan to have a party. We’re hopeful that Heights Park will have a successful NNO this ar — as we’ve had in the past.

Richardson is looking for a 1st Place repeat this year. Let’s have a great turnout for our neighborhood!

http://www.cor.net/PDPRevention.aspx?id=14252

Officer Tommy Davis
Richardson Police Department
Crime Prevention Unit
140 N. Greenville Avenue
Richardson, Texas 75081
972-744-4773

SAVE THE DATE: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22ND – OCTOBERFEST AT HEIGHTS PARK: 11:00 – 1:00

Bounce House, face painter, games, free food! Plus some special activities!

We’ll have a pumpkin decorating contest with prizes awarded for the SCARIEST, FUNNIEST, and MOST CREATIVE pumpkins! (Bring a pumpkin to decorate; markers and stencils will be provided for decorating. But if you want to decorate a carved pumpkin, please carve it at home)

More information coming in the HPNA Newsletter in September. You won’t want to miss it this year! Watch for the HPNA Newsletter coming to your doorstep during the first part of October.

Changes impact Stage 2 water conservation efforts set to take effect August 19, 2011.

(Richardson, TX) – The Richardson City Council has amended the City’s Emergency Water Management Plan, changing the schedule for water use and setting a new target conservation level. The amended plan was unanimously approved during this week’s, August 8, 2011, City Council meeting.

The most immediate impact the new plan will have will be on Stage 2 water conservation efforts set to go into effect on August 19, 2011.  The plan allows for twice per week watering based on address on a particular day of the week (see below for details). The new Stage 2 measure also targets a 5 percent reduction in water consumption as compared to 2 percent targeted in the old ordinance.

The plan’s Stage 3 water conservation plan was also changed to allow just one day per week watering instead of two. The target conservation level for Stage 3 was also increased to 10 percent from 5 percent.

On August 19, the City of Richardson will implement Stage 2 of its Emergency Water Management Plan. Implementation of the plan comes at the request of the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD), which supplies water to the City of Richardson.

Stage 2 conservation implements mandatory restrictions on water usage. Residents wishing to find out more can visit the City’s website at www.cor.net to find direct links for information or to report water restriction violations. Residents can also call 972-744-4111 for information or to report a violation.

Beginning August 19, the City’s Community Services Department will have inspectors on duty 18 hours a day, seven days a week to enforce Stage 2 watering restrictions. Anyone who receives a citation will not be required to appear in court, as is the custom with all other code citations. Instead, a defendant may elect to plead guilty and pay a window fine of:

• First offense – $150
• Second offense – $350
• Third offense – $1,500

If a citation is written as an “aggravated offense,” the defendant is required to appear before a municipal court judge to have the case resolved. Violators could see an up to $2,000 fine for failing to follow water conservation measures.

Mandatory water conservation measures to go into effect are as follows:

• Begin mandatory water use restrictions limiting all landscape and other outdoor water usage at each service address to two days per week as indicated below:
• Last digit of address allowed landscape watering days
  • 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 (odd) Wednesday and Sunday
  • 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 (even) Tuesday and Saturday

Hourly time water use restrictions may be imposed if warranted by current peak usage and/or pumping conditions. The lowest physical street address number will identify apartments, office building complexes or other property containing multiple addresses. If there is no street address number, a number will be assigned by the director of public services.

Water usage during Stage 2. Water usage during Stage 2 shall be subject to the following: 

• Reduce consumption by no less than five percent as compared to the same water usage of the prior year and in the same month.
• Newly constructed swimming pools, Jacuzzis, and spas may be filled once.
• Refilling after draining private swimming pools, Jacuzzis, or spas is prohibited without specific authorization from the director of public services.
• Excessive water runoff from any landscaped area onto impervious surfaces is prohibited.
• The washing or hosing down of buildings, sidewalks, driveways, patios, porches, parking areas or other paved surfaces is permitted while using a hose with a shutoff nozzle.
• The washing or rinsing of vehicles, boats, trailers, other mobile vehicles and equipment on owner’s premises must follow the allowed landscape water days schedule. A hand-held hose equipped with a positive shutoff nozzle, and/or hand-held bucket shall be used.
• No washing of vehicles shall be allowed without the use of an automatic shutoff nozzle.
• No outdoor watering between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. or during any periods of any precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, etc.).

Exemptions. The following water usage is exempt from Stage 2 restrictions: 

• Drip irrigation systems and soaker hoses used to keep foundations moist, except hourly limitations may apply.
• The watering of newly installed landscaping until the roots are established. Once established, the allowed landscape water days schedule must be followed.
• Commercial full-service or self-service car wash facilities, including those at service stations and automobile dealership facilities.
• Golf course landscape watering. Voluntary cutback and/or rescheduling will be requested through personal contact by the director of public services.
• Activities utilizing wastewater effluent, natural water springs, ponds or water wells.

To meet public health and safety needs and to help maintain overall water pressure, the City of Richardson will have certain facilities that must water outside the publicly mandated water restriction times. Such facilities include athletic and recreation facilities used by the public for a variety of purposes. Newly planted landscaping will also be maintained, but will follow the water restrictions in place for new landscaping that all other residents or businesses must follow.

“It’s much harder for the City to follow a two-day-per-week watering schedule than it is for the individual business or homeowner,” said Richardson Parks and Recreation Director Michael Massey. “We literally have thousands of sprinkler zones across the city that can’t be operational at the same time. So we will implement a watering strategy that will run outside of what most residents are doing, but will still attain our conservation goals and help our community maintain healthy facilities for athletic and recreational use.”

Though some City facilities will be watered outside times dictated by the ordinance, the City will maintain watering schedules that will meet or exceed conservation efforts. Other large public and private water users will also have variances for water usage, and will be monitored according to the guidelines in the variances for which they apply. Variances are also available by request for residents, businesses and other entities by contacting the City’s Public Services Department at972-744-4220.

The NTMWD initiated Stage 2 of the NTMWD Water Conservation and Drought Contingency and Water Emergency Response Plan as a result of the temporary loss of 22.5 percent of the Lake Texoma raw water supply due to invasive zebra mussels, the continued drought conditions with NTMWD’s Lake Chapman water supply capacity at 47 percent and peak water usage of 554 million gallons per day. The NTMWD put its Stage 2 plan into effect August 1, 2011.

Since Lake Texoma represents almost a quarter of the North Texas raw water supply, NTMWD continues to work with all state and federal agencies involved to safely restore the Texoma water supply while minimizing the transfer of zebra mussels into Lake Lavon and the Trinity River Basin. Although zebra mussels are not harmful to humans and do not contaminate the water, they do attach to water facilities and pipes that pump water causing increased operating and maintenance costs.

Extending the NTMWD’s water supply during Stage 2 through the efficient use of existing water resources is crucial to meeting the long-term water needs of the NTMWD’s Member Cities and Customers.

More information and tips on water conservation can be found on the City’s Water Conservation website available on the City’s homepage at www.cor.net. The site can also be accessed by using the QR code provided below. Further information is also available at www.wateriq.org andwww.ntmwd.com.

If you are planing a National Night Out block party, registration is now open!  Use the following link to register online, it only takes minutes.  You can indicate on the form if you want a Police Officer to visit your party.

Richardson is looking for a 1st Place repeat this year, don’t forget to register!

http://www.cor.net/PDPRevention.aspx?id=14252

Officer Tommy Davis
Richardson Police Department
Crime Prevention Unit
140 N. Greenville Avenue
Richardson, Texas 75081
972-744-4773