November 2008 |
NTTA, CITY TO HOST
TURNPIKE CONSTRUCTION INFORMATION MEETING 
Mark your calendars for Thursday, November 20 at 7 p.m. for a Project Information Meeting on the progress of the President George Bush Turnpike Construction. The meeting will be held at the Rowlett Community Centre, 5300 Main Street.
There will be a brief presentation on the scope of the project and then visitors will have an opportunity to view maps, diagrams and documents pertaining to the project. There will be project representatives from the NTTA and their consultants present to answer questions and provide detailed information.
Currently, the most noticeable construction progress is the removal of structures and trees in the turnpike right-of-way, basically in line with Liberty Grove Road north of SH 66 and Kirby Road south of SH 66. There is also much activity south of SH 66 as utility lines are relocated along Kirby Road.
Valencia Drive is now closed indefinitely while excavation begins on the turn pikeroute.Residents of Mariner' s Cove and Mariner's Park subdivisions may access Liberty Grove Road via Baffin Bay or Royal Bay Roads. Those two roads will eventually be closed, but access to Liberty Grove will be provided to the residents at all times during the construction.
For more information about the project or about the project information meeting on November 20, please go to www.rowlett.com.
Rowlett honors Veterans with Ceremony in Veterans' Park
The City of Rowlett proudly honored the nation's Veterans with a special commemorative ceremony on Veterans' Day, Tuesday, Nov. 11, in beautiful Veterans' Park in downtown Rowlett.
More than 100 people, including the Rowlett High School Silver Rhythm Dancers Drill Team, attended the ceremony as Mayor John Harper, a U.S. Air Force Veteran himself, led the commemoration ceremony with inspiring words honoring all veterans (pictured above left).
The Integrated Rowlett Police / Fire Department Honor Guard presented the colors for the ceremony followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Robert Blatnik, a U.S. Army Veteran who served from 1938-1945.
The Reverend Ryan Johnston, Music Pastor of Lavon Drive Baptist Church sang the National Anthem, and a song entitled "Letters from War". The ceremony ended with the crowd joining him in singing "God Bless America".
The Rowlett High School Silver Rhythm Dancers presented each Veteran at the ceremony with a commemorative coin thanking them for their dedicated service to the country. The dancers had previously given the coins to Veterans on leave returning from Iraq and Afghanistan at the DFW Airport.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
 Main Street Holiday Parade
Saturday, November 22 at 10 a.m.
Hosted by the Rowlett Noon Exchange Club
Parade begins begin at 10 a.m. on the east end of Main Street. This year's theme
is "Star-Spangled Christmas" in honor of all the men and women bravely serving our country.
Music
Other activities hosted by the City of Rowlett include Choirs from Rowlett High School, Coyle Middle School and three elementary schools who will perform on a stage in front of the Chamber of Commerce building after the parade.
Food & Fun
There will be children’s activities, food and fun from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. including a bounce house, face painting, and hot dogs, and a time for children to visit with Santa. Photos with Santa will be for sale on the Chamber of Commerce front porch after the parade.
The Library will have a free craft area for children to make a craft while
waiting to have a picture made with Santa.
Main Street will become pedestrians only and closed to traffic beginning at 7 a.m.
and will not reopen to traffic until 2 p.m. (with the exception of vehicles in the parade).
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COMMUNITY NEWS
 Five of Seven
Charter Amendments Approved by Voters
Rowlett voters cast their votes on November 4 for more than elected officials. Citizens also approved five of the seven proposed Charter amendment propositions. Below is an explanation of the proposed amendments.
| The proposed amendments that did not pass were: |
| #1 - An amendment that would have changed term limits for the Mayor and City Council from two (2) consecutive three (3) year terms to three (3) consecutive three (3) year terms. |
| #3 - An amendment that would have changed the compensation for the Mayor and City Council from a per month fee to a per meeting fee, effective in June 2011. |
| The proposed amendments that did pass were: |
| #2 - An amendment that reformats the current Charter to comply with amendments to the state election code. |
| #4 - An amendment that will require that all broadcasts of City Council meetings to be unedited. |
| #5 - An amendment that reformats the language of, and adds to the current section that provides the establishment by ordinance of ethical requirements for the mayor and members of the City Council. |
| #6 - An amendment that changes the requirement from a simple majority of City Council members to an affirmative vote of at least eighty percent (80%) of the members of the Council to issue bonds and other evidence of indebtedness. |
| #7 - An amendment that adds a requirement to the referendum provisions to require the City Attorney to review the petition for legal form prior to submission to the voters. |
Charter Review Commission Appointed
The Rowlett City Council appointed a citizen committee to serve as the Charter Review Commission in February 2008. After months of review, the commission presented its recommendations to the City Council on June 24, 2008.
Members of the City of Rowlett Charter Review Commission members were:
Chairman Jeffrey Sheldon, Scott Airitam, William Barber, Donna Davis, Brent Hutson, Roger Tomberlin, Bobby Wright and City Council Member Cindy Rushing, Council Liaison.
Please click here to view the election returns.
 RTN16 Offers variety of News, Meetings to Viewers on Cable, and Web
Did you know that Verizon and Time Warner Cable subscribers in the City of Rowlett are able to receive the latest news and information about the City of Rowlett by a switch of the remote on their TV? That's right. RTN16, located on cable channel 16, offers the latest updates about City of Rowlett activities and programs. All programs on RTN16 are produced by the City's Communication Department.
Viewers may also enjoy the latest news about Rowlett on “Rowlett On The Move”, a one-hour news information program with a talk show flare. The City of Rowlett’s Cable Access Channel RTN 16 began this talk show hosted by Mayor John Harper featuring Interim City Manager George Harris, in an effort to keep citizens up to date on all of the latest news and activities in the City of Rowlett. Occasionally, Mayor Harper also invites special guests including City Council members and department directors.
The Mayor and his guests cover topics such as city programs and projects, special events, economic development updates and more. Tune in to this special program to find out what’s happening in the City of Rowlett!
All City Council work sessions and regular City Council meetings are broadcast on RTN16 and all programs, including “Rowlett on the Move” are available with a click of the mouse, on-demand on the City’s Web site, www.rowlett.com.
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| Regular Scheduled Showings: |
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“Rowlett On The Move!”
Hosted by Mayor John Harper
Monday - Friday @ noon & 6 p.m.
Sat. & Sun. @ 11:30 a.m. & 7 p.m. |
Regular City Council Meeting
Monday & Thursday @ 6:30 a.m. & 7 p.m.
Sundays @ 12:30 p.m. |
City Council Work Session
Fridays @ 6:30 a.m. & 7 p.m.
Saturdays @ 12:30 p.m. |
Special Meetings
Tuesdays @ 6:30 a.m. & 7 p.m. |
 Holiday Closings
The Rowlett Public Library and the Community Centre will close early on Wednesday, November 26 at 6:30 p.m. and will be closed Thursday, November 27 - Saturday, November 29. Regular hours will resume Monday, December 1.
City Hall, Utility Billing and the Animal Shelter will be closed on Thursday, November 27 and Friday, November 28. Offices will reopen on Monday, December 1.
In case of emergencies, please call 911. For non-emergency calls or after hours animal calls, please contact Police dispatch at 972-412-6200.
Holiday Garbage Collection Schedule
Residential garbage will be collected on a one-day delay schedule for Thanksgiving. There will be no collection on Thursday, November 27. Thursday routes will be collected on Friday, November 28 and Friday routes will be collected on Saturday, November 29.
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YOUR CITY COUNCIL
Pictured left to right: Mayor Pro Tem Todd Gottel, Mayor John Harper, Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Steve Maggiotto,
Council Members Cindy Rushing, Chris Kilgore, Doug Phillips, Patrick Jackson
Click here to email all Councilmembers
Regular City Council meeting times and location:
Work Session
- 6:00 p.m.* | City Hall Conference Room | First and Third Tuesday of the month
Regular Session - 7:30 p.m.* | City Hall Council Chambers | First and Third Tuesday of the month
4000 Main Street |
(972) 412-6116
Citizens wishing to address the council during a city council meeting may do so by notifying the city secretary’s office at (972) 412-6116, or by appearing at a council meeting and completing a card prior to the start of the meeting requesting time to speak during the “Citizens' Input" portion of every regular council meeting.
Upcoming City Council Meetings:
Tuesday, November 18 | Tuesday, December 2 & 15
Click here to check the upcoming meeting calendar for Boards and Commissions.
* Check agenda for meeting times |
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