Seagoville Quarterly Newsletter

You're invited to Keep Seagoville and America Beautiful! This Spring, you can make a visible difference by joining us for the Don't Mess With Texas Trash Off and Great American Clean Up.

Established by Keep America Beautiful, Inc., the nation's premier litter prevention and education organization, in partnership with state and local affiliates such as ours, the Great American Clean Up is our country's largest annual cleanup, beautification and community improvement program.

Each year, millions of volunteers in over 15,000 communities across the country take part in this program. Here in Seagoville, Keep Seagoville Beautiful (KSB) is seeking 200 volunteers for our Don't Mess With Texas Litter Clean Up event on Saturday, April 09, 2016

To register your group for this year's event contact KSB staff liaison, Liz Gant at 972-287-7720 or follow this link to download the volunteer application: http://seagoville.us/DocumentCenter/View/1315 Please submit the completed application to Liz Gant at 702 N. Highway 175, Seagoville, TX 75159

Sign in begins at 8:30 am. Volunteers deploy to their assigned locations at 9:00 am.

We will wrap up the day's work by meeting back at Central Park by 12:15 for a hot dog lunch and Door Prize drawings.

This year's event is sponsored by Keep Seagoville Beautiful, the City of Seagoville, American National Bank, Brookshire's Grocery and Wal Mart.

The City of Seagoville is sponsoring a City Wide Clean Up April 4, 2016 through April 9, 2016.

Trash and debris may be disposed of at 101 North Watson from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm, Monday through Friday, April 4th through April 8th and 9:00 am until 4:00 pm on Saturday, April 9th.

This annual event is part of the Annual Don't Mess With Texas Trash Off and provides Seagoville residents access to City sponsored dumpsters to dispose of trash and debris.

The service is free to Seagoville residents. A City of Seagoville water bill and driver’s license must be presented. Please do not bring tires or appliances containing Freon or other household hazardous chemical waste to this collection.

Details available on the City of Seagoville website: http://www.seagoville.us/admin/calendar.aspx?EID=1078&CID=14

The Seagoville Police Department is now accepting applications for the 2016 Spring Session of the Seagoville Citizens Police Academy which starts April 5, 2016. The class is designed to give our citizens a better understanding about law enforcement and how the Police Department works with our community.

The classes educate and develop positive relations with our citizens. In the class our citizens learn about crime scene searches, traffic stops, building searches, and many other aspects of law enforcement.

Once citizens have graduated from the Academy they may become a member of the Seagoville Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association. It is a volunteer program in which volunteers serve as ambassadors of the police department by donating their time to work on community projects. The spring academy is from April 5th, 2016 through June 21st, 2016 from 7:00 pm-10:00 pm. All classes are held on Tuesday nights at the Police Department. The course is free to the public. Applications can be obtained at the Police Department or by going on line to the city website at www.seagoville.us . For further information about the Citizens Police Academy contact Officer K. Dickerson at (469)319-5026 or e-mail at kdickerson@seagoville.us .

The City of Seagoville recently was ranked one of “Top 50 Safest Texas Cities” by BackgroundChecks.org, a site devoted to public safety and open government.

Rankings are based on FBI violent crime stats and proprietary BackgroundChecks.org research data. Seagoville ranking #23 in a statewide field of over 3000 potential cities is a direct reflection of the commitment of the Seagoville Community as a team. Police and Fire Departments, Citizens and City Staff as well as Schools and the Business Community all contribute to the safety and well-being of our community.

For 2015 the City of Seagoville experienced a year-end overall reduction in FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Part 1 Offenses of -6.63%. This is an overall average of the Part 1 crime statistics for UCR. Part 1 crimes encompass major crimes (robbery, homicide, rape, burglary, etc.) including all variations of theft. Mayor Dennis K. Childress will issue a Proclamation at the March 7, 2016 City Council meeting in recognition of this accomplishment. The complete research and article is available at: http://backgroundchecks.org/50-safest-cities-in-texas-2016.html

The Seagoville Police Department would like to recognize Sergeant Tim Talley for his recent successful completion of the School of Police Supervision on January 29, 2016.

This course is held at the Institution for Law Enforcement Administration (ILEA) in Plano, TX. ILEA is one of the premier learning centers for law enforcement executives, managers and supervisors. ILEA was developed in 1957 with the mission to provide top quality, academically based, challenging programs in a professional educational environment for both national and international law enforcement officers; offering instructors and facilitators among the best experts in the nation in their respective fields.

The ILEA School of Police Supervision is designed for first line supervisors and is the only independent four week school in the nation that recognizes the importance of supervision as a major management function in law enforcement. The curriculum focuses on the transition from “street policing” to management, especially the social and personal adjustments.

Completion of this course is considered quite an accomplishment, and instills the values of professional leadership skills in the graduates. The Seagoville Police Department would like to congratulate Sergeant Talley for this recent accomplishment. Sergeant Talley is a 28 year veteran of the Department.

Seagoville Public Library

702 N. Highway 175

Seagoville, TX 75159

Seagoville Public Library is proud to announce the schedule for the Summer 2016 Reading Club. Join us this Summer for fun and interesting programs!

• June 10th 10:30 a.m.
  

Public Safety Program presented by The Seagoville Police and Fire Departments. Plus our Police and Fire Departments will have a squad car and a fire engine on site for tours.

• June 17th 10:30 a.m.
  

John Bunker Sands Wetland Center Program "Aquatic Insects" at the Wetlands Center, located at 655 Martin Lane, Seagoville, TX 75159 (Preregistration Required)

• June 24th 2:30 p.m.
  

Movie Afternoon in council chambers.

Popcorn and a Movie: Walt Disney's - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

• July 1st 10:30 a.m.
  

Professor Branius - Wild and Wacky Science for Kids!

• July 8th 10:30 a.m.
  

Splash Pad Party at Bruce Central Park.

Summer Reading Contest will be divided into two age groups: Ages 3-5 and 6-12.

Reading contest logs are due on or before August 1st.

An additional program will be added at a later date. The Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey circus clowns will visit to promote Summer reading and they will offer everyone a chance to earn a ticket to the circus!

The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) is pleased to announce that City of Seagoville, Texas has received the GFOA's Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its budget.

The award represents a significant achievement by the entity. It reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. In order to receive the budget award, the entity had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines are designed to assess how well an entity's budget serves as: • a policy document • a financial plan • an operations guide • a communications device.

Budget documents must be rated "proficient" in all four categories, and the fourteen mandatory criteria within those categories, to receive the award. When a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award is granted to an entity, a Certificate of Recognition for Budget Presentation is also presented to the individual or department designated as being primarily responsible for its having achieved the award. This has been presented to Patrick Harvey, Director of Finance.

For budgets beginning in 2014, 1,491 participants received the Award. Award recipients have pioneered efforts to improve the quality of budgeting and provide an excellent example for other governments throughout North America. The Government Finance Officers Association is a major professional association servicing the needs of 18,300 appointed and elected local, state, and provincial-level government officials and other finance practitioners. It provides top quality publications, training programs, services, and products designed to enhance the skills and performance of those responsible for government finance policy and management. The association is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with offices in Washington D.C. The GFOA's Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program isthe only national awards program in governmental budgeting. W

The Economic Development Corporation and Seagoville City Council approved two Quality of Life projects for area parks. Bearden Park, located at 500 May Road will get a 165 foot by 385 foot parking lot at a cost of $27,284 dollars. The second Quality of Life project will be a 60 foot by 35 foot shade cover over the Splash Park located at C.O. Bruce Central Park at a cost of $32,895. The shade cover will provide UV protection and will reduce the surface temperature on the playground equipment located at the splash pad.

Throughout the past few years, funding provided by the SEDC has contributed to the quality of our parks and the amenities available to Seagoville citizens.

Coming soon to the Robinwood neighborhood: Paving of or Seagoville streets which was approved by City Council with Authorization of Issuance of Certificates of Obligation on February 2, 2015.

The purpose of Destination Imagination is to inspire and equip students to become the next generation of innovators and leaders. Texas Destination Imagination is the largest affiliate in the world with over 3200 teams in 2014 - 2015.

Participants learn patience, flexibility, persistence, ethics, respect for others and their ideas, and the collaborative problem solving process.

February 20, 2016 a team of seven 4th and 5th grade students from Seagoville North Elementary competed in the annual regional competition. the team's Fine Arts challenge consisted of composing a story, creating props, tailoring their costumes, inventing a technical clue and solving a "crime" without any physical help, ideas or solutions from any adults.

On the day of competition the students were given an Instant Challenge where they had about 8 minutes to formulate a creative solution. The Seagoville North team's hard work paid off. The students were awarded 1st place and will now advance to state competition on April 2nd in Anna, Texas.

Congratulations to these young students as well as their teachers for a job well done.

C. O. Bruce Central Park

1801 N. Highway 175

Seagoville, TX 75159

This annual event is sponsored by the Seagoville Chamber of Commerce and the City of Seagoville. Features include a carnival, craft and food vendors, live music and a car show. For additional details, please contact the Chamber of Commerce at 972-287-5184.

Seagoville's Annual Fishing Derby is free and open to Seagoville youth ages 4 through 16. The Derby will be held at C. O. Bruce Central Park, located at 1802 N. Highway 175, Seagoville, TX 75159. Check in begins at 8:00 am and fishing begins at 9:00 am.

Divisions

• Minnow Division (4-7 years old)
• Perch Division (8-11 years old)
• Bass Division (12-16 years old)

Awards

• 1st and 2nd Place in each division
• Biggest Fish
• Smallest Fish
• Derby Champion
• Overall Total Weight

For further details, visit the City of Seagoville web-site at: http://www.seagoville.us/admin/calendar.aspx?EID=1083&CID=14

Seagoville Firefighters have completed a long list of remodel activities at the fire station. Numerous updates have made a positive impact on their "home away from home". The hard work has transformed the Fire Station and is a source of pride for staff and citizens. Chief Gilcrease expresses his gratitude to the shift personnel for not only taking care of day to day functions of the fire service, and also doing outstanding work on the renovation projects.

The National Fire Safety Council (NFSC) is the driving force behind the Fire Department's ability to take Fire Safety material into our local schools during National Fire Safety month. This year, the NFSC has teamed up with the Firefighters Association to produce advertisement calendars. Seagoville area businesses are demonstrating their support in a meaningful way by purchasing advertising to support the project.

Please be aware and prepared for the possibility of severe weather as we are in that time of year when we are more likely to get storms.