The Contractor is completing Phase I of this project, which requires the closure of the northernmost westbound lanes on 46^th Avenue while Phase II will require the closure of the southernmost eastbound lanes. During both phases of the project, traffic will be reduced to one eastbound and one westbound lanes of traffic from Fannin Street to Parker Street.

Work will normally take place between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Motorists are advised to use caution and expect minor delays. We would like to thank residents and motorists in advance for their patience and understanding. For more information or questions about this project, contact the City’s Utility Department at (806) 378-9493.

Violators are entitled to a trial and tickets can be contested in court. However, many people choose not to show up. Amarillo Municipal Code requires that people with six or more unpaid tickets are subject to having their cars impounded, meaning the Amarillo Police Department can essentially arrest your car.

Rather than face unwanted consequences, violators are encouraged to take advantage of their day in court. Violators can come to Municipal Court, plead “not guilty” and set a date for a trial – or pay the fine, in person or online.

“I think everyone would agree that handicapped and other restricted parking needs to be protected,” says Sgt. Brent Barbee with the Amarillo Police Department.  “The only way to do that is to increase enforcement – and require people to comply with the law to avoid the time and expense of impound fees being added to the fines that they have already incurred.”      

For more information about setting a court date or to pay unpaid parking fines, please contact the City of Amarillo’s Municipal Court at 378-9342. To view a current list of all open parking violations, or to pay online, visit http://www.amarillo.gov/municipalcourt and click on “Open Parking Violatons.” The Amarillo Municipal Court is located at 201 S.E. 4th Avenue on the first floor in the Police/Courts Building and the entrance faces 4th Avenue. A City of Amarillo Municipal Court map can be found at http://www.amarillo.gov/images/mcourt_floorplan.jpg.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) provides reimbursement for free nutritious meals and snacks. The program helps children in low-income areas get the nutrition they need to learn, play, and grow throughout the summer months when they are out of school.

For more information on site locations and dates, please contact the Palo Duro Cluster Office at (806) 326-1155 or the City’s Community Development Office at (806)378-3005.

Amarillo, TX – When you enter a house or other type of building, you presume it is safely and properly constructed, and complies with state and local building codes. To help raise awareness, the City of Amarillo’s Department of Building Safety proudly celebrates Building Safety Month during May.

The theme for this year’s Building Safety Month recognition is “Code Officials Keep You Safe.” Each week, throughout the month of May, a specific area of building safety will be spotlighted:

• ·         May 6-12: Fire Safety and Awareness
• May 13-19: Disaster Safety and Mitigation
• May 20-26: Backyard and Pool Safety
• May 27-31: Energy and Green Building

“When our building safety and fire prevention experts inspect buildings during and after construction, they help to ensure that the places where you learn, live, work, worship and play are safe,” says Chief Plans Examiner Larry Zamora with the City’s Department of Building Safety. “Ensuring public safety is something we think about and do every day by working with homebuilders, plumbers, roofers and other construction industry trades and contractors.”

Building codes address all aspects of construction, from structural to fire prevention, plumbing and mechanical systems, and energy efficiency. The building safety process requires active participation of code officials, fire inspectors, architects, builders, engineers, contractors and others in the construction industry, as well as property owners.

“Your safety is our number one concern,” says Zamora. “During Building Safety Month and all year long, building safety and fire prevention officials are here to help protect you, your family and our community.”

A proclamation read by the Amarillo City Commission at the Tuesday, April 30 meeting officially kicked off Building Safety Month this year. The Department of Building Safety will have a weekly open house display at City Hall, 509 S.E. 7^th Ave. in Room 105 with refreshments and informational handouts from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The display case in the lobby of City Hall will have items corresponding with Building Safety’s weekly themes.

The Department of Building Safety is also partnering with other City departments and local businesses to host outreach events at three local hardware/home improvement locations, serving free hotdogs and drinks. There will be fun activities for the kids, as well, including the Fire Department’s “Smoke House.”  The events will take place on:

·         May 4from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sutherland’s, 4717 S. Washington St.

• May 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Pride Home Center, 3503 N.E. 24^th Ave.
• May 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Summit Ace Hardware, 4705 S. Western St. 

There also will be a Building Safety theme coloring contest in our local public elementary schools that will include prizes for their participation.

Building Safety Month is dedicated to helping the community and the construction industry provide safe and sustainable construction through the development of local standards used in the design, build and compliance process. Most U.S. communities and many global markets choose the International Codes.

The public is encouraged to participate and learn about the essential safety work of the City of Amarillo Department of Building Safety. For more information on the services offered by the Department of Building Safety, visit http://www.amarillo.gov/?page_id=95.

This year’s celebration will include the planting of 20 trees at Forest Hill School Park, along with a short recognition ceremony led by Mayor Harpole.

As part of the event, the student body at Forest Hill Elementary will be provided the opportunity to learn about the history of Arbor Day as well as proper tree planting techniques as they will then be invited to assist park staff and volunteers with the planting of the new trees.

 The City of Amarillo has been recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation for the past 17 years as a “Tree City” recipient. The Amarillo Parks Department will plant over 400 new trees in your city parks in 2013. For more information on the event, call 378-6822.

Amarillo, TX – The City of Amarillo recently approved a bid to repair a 30-inch water line located on Randolph Road. The majority of the work will be done in the mouth of the alleyway between Harmony and Kingston, in the 4900 block of Randolph Road and 3200 block of Kingston Road, starting Thursday, April 25. The repair of this pipeline will not affect water service to area residents. 

Construction is expected to be completed by May 3 and until then, area residents will experience the temporary closure of 4900 Randolph Road between Harmony and Kingston, and the North and South alley closures as well as temporary relocating of trash receptacles. 

Motorists should drive carefully through the construction area. We would like to thank residents and area motorists in advance for their patience during the project. The City and its contractor will work hard to minimize any adverse effects of this closure to area motorists and residents. 

Amarillo, TX – The Amarillo Emergency Communication Center (AECC) is celebrating National Public Safety Telecommunications Week (NPSTW) this week, which is sponsored by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International. This week is celebrated annually and honors the thousands of men and women who respond to emergency calls, dispatch emergency professionals and equipment, and render life-saving assistance to the world’s citizens. That’s why the theme for this year’s activities is “Dispatch from Around the World.”

“Our dispatchers are behind the scenes supporting the police, fire and emergency medical personnel who make actual physical contact with the people we interact with only through the phone,” says Lou Ann Humphrey, the Amarillo Emergency Communication Center shift supervisor leading this week’s activities. “The importance of recognizing and celebrating the hard work of these dedicated professionals at every level is immeasurable.”

The AECC kicked off this year’s activities with a family picnic Sunday at Thompson Park. On Tuesday, April 16, the mayor and commissioner will issue a proclamation recognizing NPSTW during their regular City Commission meeting at 3 p.m.

On Wednesday, April 17, the AECC will host its annual awards ceremony at 7:30 p.m. in the Grand Plaza at the Amarillo Civic Center. The media is invited to attend. Awards and recognitions will include the Citizen Hero Award, Telecommunicator of the Year and Supervisor of the Year.

The AECC began operations on October 27, 2009 when the City of Amarillo and Northwest Texas Hospital consolidated all dispatch functions for police, fire, animal control and emergency medical services and merged into one unified communication center. AECC is the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for the City of Amarillo, which means that all 911 calls originating inside the city are answered at the AECC. In fact, 548,489 calls were answered by the AECC in 2012, alone.

“Vicki has demonstrated commitment to the City over the course of 35 years and, with that, she has a tremendous breadth of knowledge and expertise that make her a natural fit for this position,” Atkinson says.

In her previous role, Covey oversaw the day-to-day functions of several departments including Animal Control, Amarillo City Transit, Building Safety, Civic Center, Community Development and Housing, Environmental Health, Human Resources, Libraries, Metropolitan Planning Organization, Planning, Public Health and the Women, Infants and Children’s Nutrition (WIC) Program.

“While this is rewarding for me personally and professionally, it also is an exciting time for the City of Amarillo,” Covey says. “This move will coincide with a restructuring of the City from an organizational standpoint, and will allow us to focus on Amarillo’s growth and development.”

As deputy city manager, Covey’s oversight will include the Office of Emergency Management, Amarillo Emergency Communications Center, Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport, Human Resources and Facilities. The division of Public Services will also remain under Covey’s supervision.

“I look forward to working closely with these departments and being a part of their planning processes and continued growth,” Covey says.

Covey began her career with the City in 1974 as a management analyst. She left only briefly, from 1977 to 1981, to work as a health planner with Panhandle Health Systems Agency (PRPC) and then as the community development administrator for the City of Lubbock. She returned in 1981 as Amarillo’s community development administrator, and has kept her roots firmly planted with the City of Amarillo ever since. Covey was promoted to assistant director of the City’s Community Services Division in 1991 and then to director in 2005 before being promoted to assistant city manager in 2009.

Covey is a member of Amarillo Executive Women, serves on the board of directors for Center City of Amarillo and is past president of Rotary Club of Amarillo East. The Panhandle Regional Planning Commission honored Covey in October with the Goodwin Regional Public Administrator Award for her public service and leadership to the region in a variety of capacities. Other recognitions include Amarillo Women’s Network Career Achievement Award, 1995 and 2004, Caprock High School, Distinguished Alumni and Hall of Fame and United Way 1996 President’s Significant Achievement Award.

Covey earned her degree in political Science from West Texas State University. She also completed the Certified Public Manager Program at the Center for Public Service at Texas Tech University in 2003, and has completed several courses in the National Incident Management System (NIMS).

On Tuesday, April 9, traffic in the area of 34th Avenue between Van Buren and Harrison streets will be rerouted around the north side of 34th Avenue. This will allow for east/west travel on the south side of 34th Avenue. It is scheduled to reopen Friday, April 12. 

Sanitary sewer lines will also be replaced in the area of 34th Avenue between Polk and Taylor Streets beginning Thursday, April 11. Traffic will be rerouted around the south side of 34th Avenue, allowing for east/west travel on the north side of 34th Avenue. It is scheduled to reopen on Friday, April 12, as well.

This work is part of a continuing project to replace old deteriorated sanitary sewer mains. The City and its contractor will work hard to minimize any adverse effects of this closure to area motorists and residents.

Motorists are asked to drive carefully through the construction area. We would like to thank residents and area motorists in advance for their patience during the project. 

• City Recycling Center at SE 27th  & Hayes
• Wal-Mart at I-40 & Grand
• Wal-Mart at I-27 & Georgia
• Wal-Mart at Coulter & 45th
• Wal-Mart at Amarillo Blvd. & Tascosa Rd.
• Sam’s Club at 2201 Ross-Osage Dr.
• Fire Station #4 at Hastings & River Rd. 

Phone books will be accepted at these locations through May 3, 2013.

To order extra directories or stop delivery, visit www.yellowpagesoptout.com or call 1-866-329-7118. The opt-out contact information also is listed in the delivered phone directory. Please note there is a seven week processing period to cancel delivery of the directory prior to their scheduled delivery.

For more information on the City’s recycling efforts, visit us online at www.recycle.amarillo.gov.