WIXLIB

Oakridge Newswww.oakridgena.orgOctober 2021, Vol. 29, No. 10Walk & Greet with Ice Creamrandomly draw the name of an ONA member to win aprize.Last fall and spring we scheduled an eveningfor neighbors to get out of their homesand greet each other. All around Oakridgeresidents headed outside for an eveningstroll—or just to hang out in their frontyards and greet neighbors passing by.If you are an ONA member for the 2021-2022membership year, then you are automa cally includedin the drawing. (Note: Members cannot win twice in thesame membership year.)by Jackie Reynolds, ONA Events DirectorWe are doing it again this fall, but with freeice cream this me! The ONA has arranged for the DFWIce Cream truck to pass out FREE frozen treats in theDuck Creek Golf Club parking lot. (Treats are courtesy ofthe ONA.)This Walk & Greet with Ice Cream will take place onFriday, October 15th, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Head out ofyour home for a neighborhood stroll and if you happento swing by the Duck Creek Golf Club parking lot, feelfree to grab an icy treat compliments of the ONA.Food & Sock Driveby Jackie Reynolds, ONA Events DirectorThe ONA has arranged for GoodSamaritans of Garland to bring theirtruck to the Duck Creek Golf Clubparking lot for a Food & Sock drive onSunday, November 7th, from 2-4pm. In addi on toneeding new socks, some of the food that Good Samneeds includes peanut bu er, canned meat, cannedgreen beans, canned corn, dry pasta and canned pastasauce. Visit their website for more food dona on ideas(h p://www.goodsamofgarland.org/).Come drop off food and/or sock dona ons and receive afree cookie! We look forward to seeing you there.ONA Members Raffleby Cecile LaBossiere, ONA Membership DirectorThanks to the generosity of our sponsors, we are pleasedto begin offering a monthly membership raffle for ONAmembers. Each month, beginning in October, we willwww.oakridgena.orgGood Neighbor SpotlightIn this month’s issue of the newsle er, Oakridge residentMary VanPelt is shining the spotlight on some of heramazing neighbors.Mary has watched a friendship developing between2 couples that live nearby (Sue & Denis and Chase& Sarah). Here is what Mary has no ced about theirfriendship: I have seen them together at neighborhoodevents, enjoying Chase & Sarah’s daughter, walking,si ng on the curb, and strolling around all togetheron a golf cart! This is a great example to us all of whatneighbors can be to each other!Mary also has praise for Mr. Eppler. Here is what shesays: I love seeing Mr. Eppler working around his yard.He is always ready for a friendly chat. He has created acute Irish golf blessing for all to enjoy off the golf course.I hope you get a chance to enjoy it! Lastly, if you need afriend he is there to share his cheer & brighten your day!Is there an Oakridge resident who brightens your day?Is there a neighbor that rou nely picks up trash aroundthe neighborhood and helps keep the streets and yardslooking clean? We’d love to hear about it!If you have a story to share for the Good NeighborSpotlight, please email us at communica ons@oakridgena.org. We will post your name as the onesubmi ng the story, but you do not have to provide uswith the name of the good neighbor you are spotligh ng.Page 1shalom xin chào namaste konnichiwa tena yistilign salaam hujambo hola hello ni hao sà wàtdiini hao anyoung haseyo ahlan bekum sà wàtdii shalom xin chào namaste konnichiwa tena yistilignsalaam hujambo hola hello ni hao anyoung haseyo ahlan bekum sà wàtdii hola

Residential Lockbox Programusing force. At no other me will the lockbox beused or will entry be made without authoriza on.by Joan Nichols, ONA Crime & Safety Commi ee DirectorThe Garland Police Department’s residen al lockboxprogram is designed to expedite access to senior adults intheir own homes during medical or other emergencies.The lockbox program also reduces the likelihood ofproperty damage caused by first responders forcingentry into a home in response to an emergency call.EligibilityThe lockbox program is open to all Garland residentswho either live alone or must be le alone on a regularbasis and: There is no cost to par cipate in the LockboxProgram, other than the cost of a spare key. A par cipant may withdraw from the LockboxProgram at any me by contac ng Officer Barnes.A er the key is returned to the par cipant, theempty lockbox will be removed from the residenceand returned to the Police Department.This program is paid for and sponsored by the GarlandCi zen Police Academy Alumni Associa on.Good Sam Needs Volunteers Are age 65 and aboveby H. Englebretson, ONA Communica ons Commi ee Director Are under 65 with a major medical issue that couldrender them incapacitated or unconsciousGood Samaritans of Garland (“Good Sam”) needsvolunteers! The pandemic has brought a large numberof families and individuals needing food assistance.With the increased client load, Good Sam needs morevolunteers. The volunteer form is available on theirwebsite. h p://www.goodsamofgarland.org/How the Program Works The eligible par cipant will complete a LockboxProgram Applica on (PDF) to the Garland PoliceDepartment. Applica ons can be found on theGarland Police Website, picked up at the front deskof the Police Department, or by contac ng ourNeighborhood Police Officer (NPO), Officer Barnes,at BarnesT@garlandtx.gov. Once the applica on is approved, Officer Barnes willcontact the par cipant at their home to review theprogram. The par cipant will provide a spare house key to theofficer and place the key inside the lockbox and setthe combina on. The officer will determine the best loca on for thelockbox that allows quick access for emergencyresponders but is not readily visible to the typicalstreet or pedestrian traffic. The lockbox will only be used during an emergencycall, and when responders can’t make entry withoutPage 2Also, consider a ending their Ghost Tour fundraiseron Oct. 30th, 5-9pm. Learn about the history andmystery that surrounds downtown Garland, enjoythe atmosphere of downtown, eat at your favoriterestaurant, and par cipate in a Good Sam Treasure Huntfor a prize. Visit their website for more details and topurchase ckets. h p://www.goodsamofgarland.org/Oakridge News

Congratulations!In September, Dylan Hedrick’s householdjoyfully increased by one!Join us in congratula ngDylan Hedrick’s family on the birthof their healthy, baby boy.Welcome to the Oakridge neighborhood!City Councilman Updateby Dylan Hedrick, District 7 City Councilman, Oakridge ResidentIn my last update, I provided an update on the proposedCity Budget for FY 2021-2022. I am proud to say thata er much discussion and mee ngs, it was passedunanimously with minimal changes at our City Councilmee ng on September 14.The 815.6 million combined budget funds all cityac vi es including city personnel, opera ons, capital,electric fuel & energy purchases, water purchases anddebt payments among other expenses. This year’sbudget is an increase of 5.4% from the previous yearand does not require a tax increase largely due to theaddi onal property tax revenues received as a result ofhigher home values.During our discussions, we decided to use the remainingSafeLight funds—a program which used revenue fromred light camera infrac ons that is no longer allowed dueto State law changes—for traffic safety items includinglane striping and crosswalk marking improvements.We also decided to delay increasing the fees for EMStransports un l mid-year to allow for addi onal mefor public educa on. Finally, we decided to fundimprovements to the Garland Police Boxing Gym fromthe General Fund. This worthy program provides a safea er-school youth program which trains over 100 youthin boxing and 45 children in karate each day.I am happy to say that the City Budget met thisyear’s goals of addressing opera onal staffing needs,enhancing parks and recrea on opera onal funding,and restoring employee merit/compensa on increasesto remain compe ve in the job market. A er thecon nued uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ibelieve this year’s budget is a sound financial plan forthe upcoming year.The next topic the Council will focus on is how to spendthe 53.5 million funding the City will receive from thewww.oakridgena.orgfederal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The rules setout in the act allow the funding to be used for a varietyof purposes including public safety ini a ves, addi onalbond projects that were le out of the 2019 BondProgram, new capital projects or community programs.The Council will be deba ng the alloca on of thesefunds in our next several mee ngs so please provide mewith your input on how you would like to see the fundsused.By the me you read this, one of the most popular eventsthe City of Garland hosts will be complete. A er a virtualevent last year, this year’s 0.5K Garland Guzzler fun runwill return to the Downtown Square. This will be oneof the final events to be held in the Downtown Squarebefore construc on begins on the redesigned Squarepassed as part of the 2019 Bond Program. Events suchas Christmas in the Square will be moving to FirewheelMall this year to accommodate the construc on. Keepan eye on garlandtx.gov for future events and moreinforma on.As always, it is my extreme pleasure to represent theci zens of District 7. Please reach out to me via email atcouncil7@garlandtx.gov or by phone at 469-560-6099 ifI can do anything for you.Oakridge Recognitionby H. Englebretson, ONA Communica ons Commi ee DirectorIn 2020, Oakridge was recognizedby NUSA (Neighborhoods, USA) asa Finalist for Neighborhood of theYear for providing annual holidaymeals to fire sta ons. Oakridgewas also recognized as a Finalistin the Neighborhood Newsle erCompe onfor“OakridgeNews”. Due to COVID protocols, the City of Garland wasunable to formally recognize Oakridge during the 2020year for these awards (something that is done at CityCouncil mee ngs).In the past couple of months, Garland City Council hasbeen working to catch up on recogni ons that werepostponed back in 2020. At the September 14th CityCouncil mee ng, Mayor Sco LeMay formally recognizedOakridge for the 2020 NUSA awards.To view more informa on on the awards or toview the Special Recogni on document, visit:h ps://www.oakridgena.org/oakridge-awards/.Page 3

ONA Budget Updateby Keith Engler, ONA TreasurerNote: The full budget for 2021-2022 can be found in the Financials sec on ofthe website (h ps://www.oakridgena.org/) under Resident Resources.New to Oakridge?Contact us atinfo@oakridgena.orgto receive your freewelcome bag!Generously sponsored by theOakridge Neighborhood AssociationAre you an ONAmember?Have you receivedyour flag?If not, please contact us atoakridgemembership@gmail.comFall Home Checklistand other machine not stored in a heated area.by Mark Edwards, Oakridge Resident Clean Gu ers.With the arrival of Fall, here’s a list of items to get yourhome in order before the holidays: Vacuum the storage area. Purge things you nolonger use. Trim back overgrown and dead branches on treesand bushes. Clean master bedroom light fixtures. Check caulking and weatherstripping aroundwindows and doors.Assess holiday decora ons before pu ng them up.Start while the weather is nice. Clean light fixtures in the bedroom. Clean light fixtures in the family room. Wash and fluff pillows and bedding. Examine sofa pillows and throws for stains, too. Turn, rotate and vacuum ma resses. Test and replace smoke and carbon monoxidedetector ba eries. Get the HVAC system serviced. Vacuum and sweep the garage. This is a good meto wash vacuum and de clu er vehicles, too. Service and winterize outdoor equipment. Drain fuelor add an freeze to lawn mowers, weed whackersPage 4Source: the Washington Post as published in the Dallas MorningNews 2019Oakridge News