Announcements

City

Fair Housing workshops available this month

Posted February 5, 2012

Garland’s Fair Housing Services, DFW International Organization, and the NAACP will sponsor the following free, interactive workshops presented by Wells Fargo. Workshops will introduce the basic steps in the purchase of a home and will be presented in English and Spanish.  Discussion topics include:

·        Improving credit

·        Avoid home loss to foreclosure

·        Down payments

·        Closing costs

·        Interest rates

·        Purchasing a foreclosed home

·        Subsidies that help purchase and keep a home

·        Repairs

Tenant’s Rights and Responsibilities -- February 11, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. -- Eastside Church of Christ, 2000 South First Street

Homebuyer Workshops -- February 18, 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. -- Mount Hebron Missionary Baptist Church, 1233 State Highway 66

For more information, call Garland Fair Housing Services at 972-205-3300.

Celebrate Black History Month
with the South Dallas Concert Choir

Posted February 5, 2012

In celebration of Black History Month, the South Dallas Concert Choir will present a musical program at 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 18, at the Central Library, 625 Austin St., in downtown Garland.

The program, which combines elements of education, cultural awareness, and preservation, will consist of a wide range of music beginning with songs sung on the Underground Rail, such as “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and “Wade in the Water”.  This portion of the program will be followed by a selection of gospel music, jazz, and freedom songs from the Civil Rights movement. Songs in this section may include “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize, Hold On” and “We Shall Not Be Moved”.

This event marks the choir’s second appearance at the Nicholson Memorial Library System’s Central Library. The group previously performed as part of the 2011 Adult Summer Reading Program series.

Sponsored by Friends of the Library, this free program is open to the public. Registration is not required, but seating is limited. Doors open 30 minutes before show time. Call 972-205-2502 for more information.

Garland hosts Skywarn program

Posted February 1, 2012

The 2012 severe spring weather season is fast approaching. Are you ready for whatever this year has in store? 

As part of its area-wide weather preparedness campaign, the National Weather Service will host their annual Skywarn severe storm program on Saturday, February 18, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Garland’s Granville Arts Center.  The event is sponsored by the Garland Office of Emergency Management.

The program will address thunderstorm formation, severe weather production, and features associated with severe storms. The presentation will also review tornado formation and behavior, non-threatening clues which may be mistaken for significant features, and safety when thunderstorms threaten. Spotter operations and recommended reporting procedures will be covered in multimedia format, featuring numerous pictures and video clips of storms. 

 “We could not do our job as well as we do without storm spotters,” said Mark Fox, warning coordination meteorologist at the Fort Worth NWS Office.  “Radar is a great tool, but it only tells us part of a storm’s story. Spotter observations complement the data we use to analyze storms. The combination of spotter reports and radar data gives us the best possible picture of the storms and what’s going on inside them."

Even if you don’t become an active storm spotter, you will learn about how storms work and the visual clues you can identify when storms are in your area. The training will include severe weather safety tips to help families and businesses better prepare for threatening weather conditions.

The program is free and open to the public.  No pre-registration is needed.  Civic organizations, clubs, and scout groups that attend can check-in that morning to be recognized.

For information, visit www.weather.gov/fortworth and www.facebook.com/US.NationalWeatherService.FortWorth.gov.

Low cost cat spaying

Posted January 30, 2012

Kaufman County Animal Awareness Project presents "Beat the Heat."  Get your female cat fixed for only $20!  Spay her now before she goes into heat and has a litter. 

Limited availability!  Call now!  Price is good for February only.  Please call 972-472-3500 and mention this ad from Garland Animal Services when making your appointment. 

For more information, visit www.spayneuternet.org.   For more announcements from Garland Animal Services, visit www.garlandanimalservices.org.

City updates downtown square plans

Posted January 21, 2012

Several months ago, the city of Garland hosted a series of meetings to discuss possible modifications to the downtown square. At that meeting, business owners, property owners, civic organizations, and other downtown stakeholders shared their vision for an active and attractive downtown square.

The city listened to that feedback and a design team has created some ideas for the square. The public is invited to a follow-up meeting to hear what’s been said so far and look at a variety of preliminary design ideas. This meeting will be held on:

Date: Tuesday, January 24, 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Location: Plaza Theater, 521 W. State Street

For more information, contact Daniel Krzyzanowski at dkrzyzan@garlandtx.gov or 972-205-2460.

Animal Services online newsletter available

Posted January 17, 2012

The City of Garland Animal Services Department has posted its monthly online newsletter.  Highlights include:

• Low Cost Rabies Vaccination Clinic on January 28
• Important information about affordable spay/neuter services
• Opportunities to help homeless animals in Garland

View newsletter at:  http://www.ci.garland.tx.us/NR/rdonlyres/E9EBEFD9-3324-49E3-BBF0-01128B1B760C/0/NewsletterJan2012.pdf

City names new IT chief

Posted November 12, 2011

The city of Garland has named Steven Niekamp as its Chief Information Officer, overseeing the city’s information technology services. 

Niekamp has been with the city since March as manager of the IT infrastructure. In that role, Niekamp has lead efforts to improve overall performance of processes, the city network, IT support services, radio and telecommunications services. He is integrally involved in ongoing strategies to upgrade billing, productivity and virtualization systems. 

“When our CIO position became open, we conducted a nationwide search to find the right person to lead our overall IT program,” said Deputy City Manager Martin Glenn. “We were delighted to find we had an individual already on staff with proven success in leading critical projects, improving processes and instilling operational excellence. Steve has the technical expertise and the business experience to serve the city organization effectively.”

Mr. Niekamp has more than 20 years of IT experience in both the private and public sector. His background includes multiple examples of improved efficiency, cost savings and development and management of vital technology.