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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNeighborly News - Fall 2001December 1 8th Annual Christmas Parade of Lights and Tree Lighting "A Star-Spangled Holiday Revue" 6:30 p.m. Join us at City Hall after the parade for a Free Holiday Concert with Vince Vance. Bring the whole family. Then stay and visit with Santa after the concert. The City Hall Complex is at 201 N. Ector at SH 183. December 8 Heritage Park Christmas 6 — 8 p.m. Heritage Park, 201 Cullum Dr. Enjoy sights of Christmas past as you tour the historical Fuller House and Himes Log Cabin, decorated for the season. Take part in the family activities in the park, write a letter to Santa, listen to choirs caroling, visit the petting zoo and visit with Santa in person. Don't forget to catch a ride on the Christmas Choo-Choo. Holiday cheer and a little history all wrapped up in one great evening. December 15 ICEFEST 2001 1 — 4 p.m. Dr Pepper StarCenter, 1400 S. Pipeline The City of Euless and Dr Pepper StarCenter present 10EFEST 2001. Santa on a Zamboni, hay Tides, activities, ice skating performances and free ice skating for the whole family! A wonderland of activities for all ages. December 31 New Year's Eve Concerts "Trout Fishing in America" Texas Star Conference Centre 1400 Texas Star Parkway Children's Show at 2 p.m. and Evening Countdown Show at 9 p.m. For ticket information, call 817-685-1666. For more information, call 817-685-1666, visit our Web site at wwwci.euless.tx.us or send us an email at eulessinfo@ci.euless.tx.us. rn 0 c� CZ X FQ) U N W Improving home energy efficiency for fall and winter By Bill Clayton, Energy Expert, Reliant Energy It's hard to believe that the blistering days of summer are gone and that more comfortable fall temperatures are here. This is the time of year when I like to take a look around my home and make a few simple energy efficiency improvements to prepare for the fall and winter months. In just one weekend, there are a number of things you can do to reduce your home's energy consumption and costs during the cooler months. Let p me share a few of my easy tips: ■ Check attic insulation. Cooler weather makes fall ,Q one of the best times to go up into your attic and check in- \� sulation. I recom- mend R-30 insula- tion in attic areas and R-22 in hot walls and vaulted or cathedral ceilings. Twelve to 16 inches of ceiling insulation is ideal. If the home has less than six inches of insulation or was built prior to 1980, insulation should be a top priority, as up to 40 percent of heating and cooling dollars can be lost if a home isn't properly insulated. ■ Seal any air leaks around the house. Poorly sealed doors, windows and plumbing penetrations allow heated air to escape. Use caulk or insulating expandable foam, available at most home improvement stores, to seal penetrations in the attic area. If your windows and doors feel drafty, replace the weather stripping around them. ■ Contact a professional to perform pre- ventative maintenance on the heating system. Remember, at this time of year, your heating system hasn't been in use for months. Before turning it on, have a contractor perform an annual tune-up to make sure the system is working properly. ■ Install a programmable thermostat. For every degree the thermostat is set above 72 degrees, heating costs can increase by up to three percent. ■ Reverse ceiling fan rotation. In the sum- mer, a fan can be used in conjunction with an air conditioner to make a room feel cooler. In the winter, a ceiling fan can be used to help circulate warm air around the house. Heated air rises, so by reversing the rotation of the fan blades, the heated air can move around the room. While making these improvements around your home, it is particularly important to remember not to turn off or block attic ventilation in the winter. Some people may think that by blocking the air flow into the attic the house will be warmer, but actually the opposite is true. In the winter, ventilation helps prevent condensation from building up in the attic. Moisture in the attic reduces insulation's R-value to nothing, and after all the work you've done, you'll want to make sure your efforts are rewarded. Halloween Thing �V October 31 %1 6:30 — 8:30 p.m. City Hall Complex 201 N. Ector Dr. Bring your little goblin to the Halloween Thing on Wednesday, October 31. The City Hall Complex will transform into a freakish funhouse. There will be game booths, a bounce house and much more. Come show off your costume and enter the costume contest. It will be a frightfully good time for all ages. In the event of inclement weather, Halloween Thing will be held in the Library. Construction Update Harwood Road Traffic has been diverted to the new concrete pavement on the south side of Harwood. The Contractor is in the process of installing the last remaining storm drains along the north side of the road. Upon completion of the storm drain construction, the Contractor will excavate the north lanes, lime stabilize and compact the subgrade and then begin paving the north lanes. The Contractor now estimates completion in February 2002. Upon completion of the roadway pavement, the City of Euless will landscape the median and have roadway illumination installed. Mid -Cities Boulevard The Contractor plans to divert traffic to the westbound lanes of Mid -Cities from N. Main to FM 157 on October 26. Roadway paving is currently underway on the westbound lanes from Fuller -Wiser to N. Main. When traffic is diverted to the westbound lanes, the eastbound lanes between FM 157 and the Little Bear Creek bridge will be excavated and paved. During this time, access to Bob Eden Park will be available only from the existing pavement east of the park. The Contractor is currently paving shoulder areas along FM 157 and along Mid -Cities between FM 157 and SH 121. A new traffic signal will be installed at the FM 157/Mid- Cities intersection and signals will be replaced at the intersections of N. Main and Fuller -Wiser with Mid -Cities. The Contractor estimates a completion in November 2001. Glade Road The roadway projects on Glade Road east and west of SH 121 are now open to traffic. Traffic was switched over October 1. The Contractor is preparing for the installation of traffic signals at the intersection of Towne Crossing Blvd. and Glade. Cleanup operations will last for approximately two weeks. The City will landscape and provide roadway illumination in the Glade Road median east of SH 121 within the next two months.