May 15, 2007
PARKS IMPROVEMENTS
There are smiling faces today one the younger faces in the neighborhood of James M. Bradford Park, 801 E. Pennsylvania. New play equipment, including a swing set and a Netscape (which is a rope climber) are being constructed. Parks Division employees are hard at work putting together the playground as the finishing touches are put on Bradford Park. That also includes a hexagon canopy providing shade. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for May 22, 2007, at 12:15 p.m.
In addition to Bradford Park, Hogan’s Run Dog Park, 1201 E. Wadley, is also seeing improvements this week. The park, which just turned one-year-old, will have four new shade structures including three small canopies and one larger. They will replace the old pavilion at the site. More benches are being installed to provide pet owners with seating and new bathroom doors will soon be in place.
CITY CELEBRATES WITH SOUTHWEST
Officials with the City of Midland will join Southwest Airlines customers and employees in celebrating 30 years of service at Midland International Airport. A press conference will be held on Wednesday, May 16, 2007, at 10:00 a.m. in front of the ticket counter at Midland International.
Southwest Airlines began service to Midland/Odessa on May 20, 1977 with four daily nonstop departures to Dallas. Today, Southwest Airlines offers 13 daily nonstop flights from Midland/Odessa to six cities: Albuquerque, Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Houston Hobby, and Las Vegas, with connecting service to 41 additional cities across the United States. Southwest Airlines accounts for roughly 68% of the Midland/Odessa market share and employs over 50 residents.
Southwest Airlines carried approximately 320,000 passengers to and from Midland/Odessa in 2006. Southwest Airlines’ economic impact in Midland/Odessa totaled more than $6 million in 2006.
Special fares will be offered for Midland/Odessa travelers on May 16th.
SUMMER WATER USE
The summer months are fast approaching and that usually means more water usage by Midland residents. The City of Midland is doing its part by focusing on the water meter replacement program while citizens can do their best to conserve water use.
The media is invited to “ride-along” with a customer service employee to replace water meters on Wednesday, May 16, 2007. Anyone interested can contact Tina Jauz at 685.7593 to arrange a time.
Midlanders increase daily usage in the warmer weather from 156 gallons per day per person average during the winter months to 353 gallons per person per day average during the summer months. During the high usage last summer, Midlanders used 28-30 million gallons per day vs. 13 million gallons per day in the winter. The following are a list of tips to help each citizen better monitor and conserve the amount of water their household uses…
*Water your lawn early in the morning or at night to avoid excess evaporation. Do not over water your lawn. Use lawn chemicals only when necessary.
Fully load the dishwasher and clothes washer before running.
When washing dishes by hand, or when brushing your teeth, do not leave the water running.
"Repair dripping faucets and leaky toilets. Dripping faucets can waste up to 2,000 gallons of water each year in the average home. Leaky toilets can waste as much as 200 gallons per day.
*If you have a swimming pool, use a cover. By so doing, you can cut the loss of water by evaporation by 90 percent.
*Use a broom, rather than a hose, to clean sidewalks or driveways.
*Defrost frozen food in the refrigerator or in a microwave instead of running hot water over the food.
*Do not pour toxic chemicals (such as cleaning products, motor oil, weed-killers, or paints) down the drain. Dispose of them properly.
The City operates a change out program to replace old and broken meters. The meters are responsible for measuring the amount of water a residence or business uses. The average meter has a life span of approximately seven years. The change out program schedules replacements for each meter that is reaching its maximum life span – seven years. The City is doing all it can to keep up with the schedule, however the growth of the City (more than 1,000 new meters this past year alone), coupled with a shortage of employees trained to perform replacements, are proof that an improved plan is needed to keep up with the demand. With summer just around the corner, more focus and attention is being placed on replacement of older meters.
There are currently 36,293 water meters in the City. That includes 903 Automated Meter Reading (AMR) devices, installed since December 2004, which can easily be read by one city employee simply driving through an area with a laptop computer. This new technology is expected to help meet the demand as more of the newer AMRs are installed.
Together, we can all do our part in conserving water. The City is committed to ensuring citizens of accurate meter readings with a more aggressive change out program and better monitoring while residents can do their part this summer by attempting to reduce the water they use.
Can't find what you're looking for? Try our search engine.
