City of The Colony Electronic Newsletter • Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020

TCFD Firehouse No. 4 grand opening set for Feb. 12

The Colony Fire Department invites the community to join them for a grand-opening event at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12, at Firehouse No. 4, 3400 Plano Parkway on the northeast corner at Destination Drive. The facility features state-of-the-art amenities meant to benefit the health and wellness of TCFD personnel while also improving response times to emergencies in Austin Ranch, Grandscape and the SH121 corridor. Hope to see you there! For a preview of what’s to come, check out a recent tweet-along that went behind-the-scenes at Firehouse No. 4.

EDC launches aerial videos to promote city's development

During Tuesday night's regular City Council meeting, Economic Development Director Keri Samford shared some spectacular new videos her department has produced spotlighting just a handful of the ever-growing destination locations in the community: Grandscape, Cascades at The Colony, and Austin Ranch. "As you can see, things are changing so rapidly at Grandscape, by the time we've completed this video there's so much more new construction that's already been done," Samford said. "These videos are just quick, easy ways to highlight a snippet of our community and what we have to offer." For more information, visit The Colony Economic Development website.

Ribbon-cutting this Saturday for new Little Free Library

Join The Colony Public Library as it dedicates its fifth Diana Kruzich Memorial Little Free Library! The celebration starts at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, at Slay-Baker Park (5600 Baker Drive), and will be followed by story time in the park, weather permitting. Help us stock our newest Little Free Library by bringing a book to donate. The Diana Kruzich Memorial Little Free Libraries of The Colony is a project of the Friends of The Colony Public Library. (Inclement weather reschedule date is Feb. 22.)

Tree-trimming encouraged to discourage migratory birds

Egret nesting season is approaching! Residents of The Colony, especially those within or adjacent to neighborhoods where the birds have previously nested, are strongly advised to trim their trees in order to minimize potential nesting canopies. The City will not trim trees on private property. Residents are responsible for their own trees, including ones between the curb and sidewalk. Now is the time to pay close attention to your trees and notify us as soon as you start seeing the birds again. Deterrent actions must be swift, strong and constant throughout the early nesting season. Remember, the key is to scare them away BEFORE they begin nesting. Once they have laid the first egg, our deterrent actions will be extremely limited due to federal law. For more information, visit our Migratory Birds webpage or contact Community Services Director Pam Nelson by calling 972-624-3958.

What else is In THE News?

At its regular meeting on Tuesday night, The Colony City Council recognized Jill Barrett from the Fire Department as the City's Employee of the Quarter;
Motorists who frequent Paige Road between North and South Colony boulevards will have noticed a variety of lane closures up and down the thoroughfare. Two projects are currently underway. The work near just north of Morningside Elementary is for a new pedestrian hybrid beacon that will facilitate safer crossing of Paige. The rest of the closures, however, are where contractors are working on the Austin Ranch Force Main project;
The Colony Parks & Recreation is hosting its 15th annual Daddy & Daughter Dance at the Cascades Event Center on Feb. 22. Tickets are available online. Arrive in your semi-casual attire & dance the night away amid sparkling tiaras and colorful balloons! Light refreshments will be provided. For more information, call 972-625-1106;
Motorists are advised that starting on Wednesday, Feb. 5, the left-turn lanes on east- and westbound Grandscape Boulevard at the intersection with Destination Drive will be reconfigured. The current flashing, yellow left-turn arrows will be uninstalled in favor of dual left-turn lanes and protected red/yellow/green arrows. Please be extra mindful of these changes and, as always, drive safe; and,
The Customer Services Department would like to remind residents that winter sewer re-averaging is underway. For each residential customer, water consumption from December through March bills will be considered for the re-averaging period. The month with the highest consumption is disregarded and the remaining three months are then averaged together for the new sewer rate. New rates take effect the first bill in April of each year. Visit our website for more information.