February 2024 Newsletter

Remember, watering guidelines are in place YEAR ROUND for all City of Willow Park water customers.

Drip irrigation, soaker hose, handheld hoses, and tree bubblers are allowed any day, but only for two hours at a time;

Please only use hand-held buckets and hoses with shut-off valves for washing vehicles;

Please don't hose paved areas or buildings, unless it's for fire protection; Please check in with city hall for a variance if you're going to establish new turf. Should further conservation be required, you will receive a notification from the city as to those measures.

We appreciate everyone's cooperation to help make Willow Park a strong community!

THIRSTY LAWNS AND SMART IRRIGATION

About 25 percent of the state’s population lives in North Texas. That’s more than 6 million water users and a lot of thirsty lawns.

Did you know that watering our lawns accounts for about half of all the water we use at home? In fact, experts tell us most lawns get twice as much water as they really need. And we’re doing it with highly treated drinking water. It doesn’t make much sense. Yet it happens every day - to the tune of millions of gallons.

You probably don’t even have to leave your neighborhood to see the signs of our bad watering habits: water gushing down the curb, sprinkler geysers erupting from yards, or watering during a downpour. It all adds up to a waste we can’t sustain. So we have to be smarter in the ways we irrigate. Keep these things in mind and share the wisdom with your friends:

Twice a week or less. If you're watering more than two days a week, you're watering too much.

Don’t water between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Up to 30 percent of the water we spray on lawns during the heat of the day is lost to evaporation.

Cycle and soak to avoid runoff. Irrigate in shorter bursts to give water a chance to soak in, and allow 30 minutes or more between cycles.

Tune up your irrigation systems. Fix leaks or damaged sprinkler heads and make sure they’re aimed at the landscape, not the street or sidewalk.

Give your sprinkler a rest on windy days. There are certain things to avoid doing on windy days. Watering your lawn is one of them.

Rain and freeze sensors are water savers. They trigger automatic systems to shut off during downpours or when temperatures dip near freezing. And they could reduce your outdoor use by 5–10 percent.

Smart controllers know when to say when. They are like irrigation clocks that automatically adjust run times in response to weather conditions.

Water by the drop. Use drip irrigation for trees, shrubs, and flowerbeds. Drip systems put water in the root zone - that's right where the plants need it. And adapters make it easy to convert from spray to drip.

Replace that thirsty turf. Grass is great for play spaces, but do we really need so much? Replace those little-used areas of your lawn with other types of landscaping or water stingy plants.

For more water wisdom, visit waterisawesome.com

LOCAL ELECTION UPDATE:

No contested races for May City Council Election

After no opponents filed to run against the existing city council members, the city will cancel the May 4, 2024 general election.

Congratulations to the following council members who will serve another term:

Mayor Pro Tem Lea Young

Council Member Place 3

Greg Runnebaum

Council Member Place 5

Nathan Crummel

COMMUNICATIONS CORNER: DEVELOPMENT 101

Or, “but I don’t want another bank/chicken joint/nail salon!”

A common complaint we hear at the city is “I don’t want (insert business name here), we already have too many of those, can’t the city stop it from happening?”

The short answer: no we cannot. The State of Texas is very clear on that issue.

The idea that the city council can pick and choose what businesses to allow is a myth. Under state law, the approval process businesses must undergo in a city is ONLY to ensure the business meet the zoning and engineering requirements.

In fact, the law REQUIRES the city to approve any development, commercial or residential, that meets the existing requirements.

In the case of a proposed development that is outside the zoned use of an area, public hearings are required by state law.

This is the public’s opportunity to provide feedback to the council and the developer. In some cases, the developer might work with the city staff and the community to adjust their plans based on this feedback.

Ultimately though, the decision on what to do with any property lies with the property owner. This is part of the private property rights that are fiercely protected and valued in Texas.

We encourage the public to not only participate in opportunities for feedback on development, but to also educate themselves on how the process and the law works.

This allows us to better serve you and the city as a whole as we work to build a strong future together.

RUMORcontrol

We are seeing a lot of misinformation related to annexation and the West Oak neighborhood and so it’s time for a little rumor control.

(TLDR: we haven’t annexed your neighborhood, it’s a post office thing. Read more below)

First and foremost, no one can be annexed into a city in Texas without their permission. Thanks to a law passed in 2019 by the state legislature, forced annexation is illegal in the state of Texas. You cannot be brought into the city limits unless you ask the city to do so.

2.

1. Some residents in the West Oak neighborhood are seeing the city name of “Willow Park” on their mail where they used to see “Aledo.” This is due to the post office working on some changes but will not affect anything other than the way your mail looks. Zip codes and city limits are two different things: the 76008 Aledo zip code, for example, encompasses a far larger area than just the City of Aledo. Your zip code reflects your local post office location, not your city location.

3.

If you live in the area near Fortified Fitness and Bankhead Highway, you may have gotten a letter about a public hearing. This is related to the property where Fortified Fitness sits and some land behind it. The property owners have requested to be annexed and there are required public hearings where the neighbors are notified. Again, we have no plans to annex the West Oak neighborhood.

4.

We’re hearing that a lot of bad information is making the rounds on social media related to this matter. Please share this factual information with your neighbors! Reliable sources include the city website, our newsletters, our social media channels, and the staff at city hall. Please do not rely on unreliable sources.

5.

If you have questions, we have a communications director who is here for this very reason: to be a resource for the public. You can email rhoffman@willowpark.org for any concerns you may have.

Please share this information with your neighbors who may not be connected to our information channels!