Villages of Woodland Springs Homeowners Association

Got Grub?

Jul 14, 2006

Play It Safe during Fourth of July Activities
Keep Tall Grass, Weeds Cut
Water Quality Reports Mailed to Customers
Treat for Grub Worms
Ride Transit Free July 18
City Notes

Bike Helmets Are Mandatory
Save on Supplies at the City?’s ECC
Help Improve Lake Como Park
DBE Goals Are Open for Review
City Jobs

City Events

Upcoming Events

Cable Highlights

Pets Of The Week
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Play It Safe during Fourth of July Activities
Save the Fireworks for the Pros

When celebrating the Fourth of July, don?’t light that firecracker or sparkler in or near the Fort Worth city limits.

Setting off or even possessing fireworks within 5,000 feet of Fort Worth city limits is a Class C misdemeanor with fines of up to $2,000.

In addition, most other local cities have similar restrictions on the use of fireworks, and the Tarrant County Fire Marshal has banned them in all unincorporated areas. Many of the surrounding counties also have enacted fireworks bans due to the dangerously dry conditions.

Ignorance of the law is no excuse. Check with your local city and/or county for specific laws pertaining to your area.

Fort Worth Fire and Police personnel will be on patrol throughout the July 4 holiday, targeting fireworks violations. To report a violation, call 817-922-3000. Do not call 9-1-1.

The City of Fort Worth urges you to attend one of the many public fireworks displays in the area and leave the fireworks to the pros. Fireworks shows will be conducted at the following sites:

July 3 and 4: Old Fashioned Family Fireworks Picnic with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, 3220 Botanic Garden Blvd.

July 4: Fort Worth Cats, LaGrave Field.

July 4: Willie Nelson?’s Fourth of July Picnic and Concert, Fort Worth Stockyards.

With Fourth of July and summer vacations, many residents are planning travel, cookouts, pool parties and much more.

But while you?’re having fun, don?’t forget to keep safety first.

The City of Fort Worth Public Health Department offers the following tips on how to play it safe.

Practice Food Safety
Safe food storage, preparation and cooking are key ingredients to keep your Fourth of July ?— or any ?— cookout a happy and healthy one.

The Fort Worth Public Health Department recommends that you take the following steps to prevent food-borne illnesses.

Thaw all frozen meats and poultry in the refrigerator. If faster thawing is needed, defrost in the sink under a constant flow of cold, running water. Do not thaw at room temperature.
Use paper towels, not cloth, to dry off chicken and wipe up juices.
Don?’t let vegetables or other fresh foods touch countertops, cutting boards or other surfaces that have come into contact with raw meat and poultry.
Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling raw meat and poultry and before touching food that will not be cooked. Dry your hands with a clean towel; don?’t use the same apron or towel that you use during food preparation.\
Use a thermometer to ensure meat, poultry and other foods are cooked properly ?— up to 165 degrees F.
Keep all hot foods above 140 degrees F and hold cold foods at or below 40 degrees F. After the meal, cool leftovers quickly and freeze those that won?’t be used within three days. Reheat leftovers to 165 degrees F or above before eating.
Of course, proper disposal of food is just as important as proper storage and preparation.

The Fort Worth Water Department reminds residents that meat drippings should be collected in a disposable container and thrown into the trash along with any other greasy leftovers.

If your sewer does back up, call the Water Department immediately at this 24-hour number: 817-FW-24-HRS or 817-392-4477. A crew can make sure the blockage is not in the city-owned portion of the pipe before you incur the expense of a private plumber.

Play It Safe at Pools, Spas

Whether at home, in a public park, a hotel or an apartment complex, parents and children must be alert to hazards in and around pools and spas. Most pool accidents can be prevented by proper supervision and inspection for safety hazards.

As you and your children head for the pools, whether public or private, the Fort Worth Public Health Department recommends these safety precautions:

Monitor children closely when near any swimming pool, hot tub or spa.
Be sure the pool is completely fenced and has a self-closing, self-latching gate with fasteners that can?’t be reached by children.
Keep rescue equipment, such as poles, ropes or life preservers, near the pool.
Don?’t consider your children drown-proof because they?’ve had swimming lessons.
Don?’t rely on chlorination alone. Teach youngsters to keep pool water out of their mouths.
Don?’t let children jump or dive into shallow water.
Don?’t let children play with any pool drain or sit on a drain in a wading pool or tub.
Learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). Seconds count in a water emergency.
Be Careful When Traveling

Many families will take to the highways for the Fourth of July and throughout the summer to visit relatives. When traveling with children, safety is not an option ?— it is essential.

While child safety seats may be taken for granted, the Public Health Department?’s Outreach Office has a few tips for parents to keep in mind:

Always buckle up. Teach your children by example. If you wear a safety belt, they will model you.
Take a look at the directions for installing a car seat.
When purchasing a new child car seat, be sure to fill out the warranty information. In case of a recall, the manufacturer will use that information to contact you.
Never buy a car seat at a garage sale or take one that has been used. You have no way of knowing if the seat has been in a previous accident and may be damaged.
Never install a child car seat in the front seat of a vehicle.
An infant seat should face the rear of the vehicle until the child is 1 year old and weighs at least 20 pounds.
A car seat must be installed so that it cannot be moved more than one inch when the safety belt is secured. The harness straps should be tight enough that only one adult finger can fit between the straps and the child.
If you are unsure of how to use a car seat properly, call the Public Health Department?’s Outreach Office at 817-871-6200.

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Keep Tall Grass, Weeds Cut
Save Your Money
Each summer and spring, thousands of citizens and business owners lose hundreds of dollars because of tall grass and weeds ?— money they could save by keeping them mowed.

Besides being generally unsightly and unhealthy, tall grass and weeds can harbor snakes, rats, roaches and mosquitoes, and they contribute to fires.

So, how can you avoid forking over a pile of your hard earned cash? It?’s easy. If you live or own property within Fort Worth city limits, just keep your yard, lot, lawn and/or land cut to a reasonable level ?— less than 12 inches.

If a Code Compliance officer finds that the grass and weeds on your property are more than 12 inches high, you will receive a one-time certified notice and have 10 days to mow the turf. If you don?’t, a city contractor will do the job for you, and it won?’t be cheap. The average bill for a residential lot is $250, payable within 30 days.

The city?’s one-time notification policy allows a city contractor to mow high grass and weeds anytime during a one-year time period, 10 days after the notice has been issued.

Property owners who receive a notice and question whether their property is in violation should contact the city?’s Code Compliance Department at 817-392-1234. Billing appeals should be put in writing and forwarded to Code Compliance, Attn: Weed Dispute, 715 Texas St., Fort Worth, 76102.

Residents must make their appeals within six months of mowing.

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Water Quality Reports Mailed to Customers
The 2005 Water Quality Report ?— in English and Spanish ?— has been mailed to all residents who receive a City of Fort Worth water bill as well as every multi-family address in ZIP codes served by the Water Department.

Water Department officials will be available to answer water quality questions at 6 p.m. July 13 in the Council Chamber on the second floor of City Hall, 1000 Throckmorton St.

Free copies of the report are available at all Fort Worth public libraries, recreation and community centers, municipal golf courses, the Botanic Garden and water customer service locations. And, the 2005 Water Quality report is available online in Spanish and English at www.fortworthgov.org/water.

For additional printed copies, call 817-FW-24-HRS (817-392-4477). Organizations or businesses may request multiple copies to distribute to their members, employees or the public. Speakers also are available to meet with groups about the report.

To assist consumers who want to learn more about drinking water, the Water Department has placed a copy of the book Plain Talk about Drinking Water: Questions & Answers about the Water You Drink at each Fort Worth Public Library facility.

All water utilities must issue an annual water quality report as a result of 1996 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act. Federal and state regulations mandate the reports contain certain information, the format for the charts listing substances detected in drinking water and the precise wording of certain statements.

These water quality reports contain information on what?’s in the water, how these substances may get into the water and where the water comes from, along with how information can be obtained on what is being done to protect the source water.

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Treat for Grub Worms
If you?’ve had problems in the past with grub worms and haven?’t treated your lawn this year, it?’s not too late.

The optimal time to treat for grub worms is early July before these white c-shaped, worm-like pests destroy your beautiful lawn.

If white grub worms are present, they will be found in the top few inches of soil where they feed on grass roots. Grub damage leaves irregular-shaped areas of weakened or dying roots.

You can check for grubs by digging small holes, 3 to 4 inches deep, in several parts of your yard. Yards with four to 10 grubs per square foot require chemical treatment. Treatment is most effective when grubs are small.

The most effective insecticide against small- and medium-sized grubs is imidacloprid. This product works best when applied before white grubs reach their final life stage. Always read and follow label directions for application and disposal.

Non-chemical controls include applying beneficial nematodes ?— microscopic round worms that attack white grubs and other soil-inhabiting insects. The soil must be kept damp or nematodes will not survive. Nematodes are not as effective as chemical treatments but are an environmentally sound alternative to reduce white grubs by 50 percent or more under good conditions.

The Fort Worth Water Department reminds residents using chemical controls to avoid runoff that will wash insecticides off the lawn and possibly into the storm drain or sewer systems, creating water quality problems.

For more information about white grub control, visit the Water Department Web site at www.fortworthgov.org/water. You also may call the Texas Cooperative Extension Service at 817-884-1944.