Mayor’s Message Dan Reese

Horticulturally, the month of May is opening night, homecoming, and graduation day all rolled up into one – Tam Mossman. Great big shout out to our graduates!

Lights at Takas Park. You may have seen the updated lighting (solar powered) along the trails at Takas Park. Thank you, Public Works, for the great job!

On April 3rd, the City Council voted to install additional lighting at Takas Park. This has been an item of interest for several years. The 2021 Parks and Recreation Open Space Plan recommended lighting recreational areas at Takas Park. The proposal will allow for lighting on the three Ball Fields, the Tennis Court, Pickle Ball Court and the Basketball Court. The company chosen is Musco. They are known for using technology that provides effective lighting while minimizing light pollution. In addition to lighting events, the system will allow our police to turn the lights on for safety reasons if needed. Google Fiber. You may have seen the construction on the property adjacent to Crestway near the Gardens of Windcrest. That is the Google Fiber “hut”. That is the beginning of the process to install Google Fiber in Windcrest. Like any other service, this is voluntary and only one of the internet services that are available to you. The difference you will see will primarily be in the street in front of most homes. Google trucks will go down streets cutting a small trench while putting the Google Fiber line in the trench and sealing it as they go. They are planning the street install process for June and expect to be done by December. You can go on-line to request the Google Fiber service once it is available. Here is a link to a short video from Google to describe their install process. https://youtu.be/5dS4FP3WsR4

New Resident Orientation. Our first New Resident Orientation was held on March 21st and it was quite a success. Councilmember Strzelecki and I will continue to host this event on a quarterly basis. The next New Resident Orientation will be on Tuesday, June 20th. All residents are welcome to attend, even if they are not new. It will be a great way to see how the city works and put a face to a name for our City Staff and leaders. Look for information on the City Website, Facebook or Instagram.

Volunteer Opportunities. Interested in being a volunteer to help our great city? We are developing a list of people that would be willing to help in various ways. We have designated a Volunteer Coordinator – Anita LunaCaulk. Anita will be coordinating our volunteers as projects some up. The City Web Site has a way for you to identify yourself as someone who might be able to help. Go on the City of Windcrest web site. From the home page select “Community” then “Get Involved”. You will be able to put what kind of volunteer activities you would be willing to help with. When a project comes up, Anita will put out an email that will allow those who are able to help to identify themselves. One of the many things I love about our City is the willingness to help our neighbors.

City Budget. The City Staff is beginning the budget process for next year. The City Council conducted a Budget Goals setting Session on April 3rd at 5PM. The purpose of the initial meeting will be help identify goal for the next budget. We will hold another Budget Goal setting Session on May 1st at 5PM just prior to our Council Meeting. The staff will be developing the proposed Budget in June. The City Council will hold two or three Budget Workshops in July. The City Secretary will file the proposed budget August 1st and the we will adopt a budget in September prior to the beginning of our Fiscal Year on October 1st. The Goal Setting Sessions and the Budget Workshops are open meetings so please attend if you are interested. They will also be available via video from our City web site.

I hold my “Coffee with the Mayor” every Saturday when I am in town. Please see my Facebook page (Dan Reese, Mayor, City of