Vol.4 Issue 3 April 2016 Shady Shores News C O M M U N I T Y E V E N T S C O M M I T T E E Message from the Mayor Pro-Tem Happy Spring, Shady Shores' Residents! The season is changing: warmer weather, thunderstorms, trees budding, flowers blooming, grass growing, mowing (oh boy). Spring is a great time of year. The Town of Shady Shores has changes coming too. The Town Council voted to switch the waste collection provider for the Town. The new provider is a Texas based, family owned business with their call center located in Texas. We will see some new things with this change. A new trash pick-up day, Wednesday Billing will be done through the Town A new 95-gallon cart for trash and a new 95-gallon recycling cart Waste management will continue to collect the waste until May when the new company, CWD, will become our service provider. More information will be coming, but be prepared to sign up for the new provider through the Town. Enjoy the great weather, Cindy Aughinbaugh Mayor Pro-Tem
P a g e 2 NOTES FROM TOWN HALL by Wendy The Town Council met in regular session on March 14, 2016. Actions to note: the May 7, 2016 Election of City Officials has been canceled this year as each of our incumbents were unopposed. If you are not familiar with the current Town Council, you can visit the Town Council Page on our website to view their photos, or come to a meeting and listen to what s going on in your local government. Our city officials are working hard to make Shady Shores a great place to live- your input is valuable to them as they make decisions that affect our town. Town Council approved a contract with Community Waste Disposal (CWD) for Solid Waste and Recycling Collection. Information will be posted on the website, e-news and Facebook as we work toward this change in collections. April 9 th will be the Great American Clean Up. Mark your calendars now as this will be a great day to do some spring cleaning in your homes and around the community. This year we will offer dumpsters in several convenient locations; if you are a senior or need assistance loading and or disposing of bulk items during this time, please contact town hall as we have volunteers who are willing to assist you with this. There will be a shred truck available in front of the town hall from 10am-12pm. Watch the website and Facebook for more information. As always, I am available for questions at 940-498-0044, or town.secretary@shady-shores.com. Wendy Withers, TRMC, CMC Town Secretary The Honorable Aniela "Angie" Jean Warner Born: November 12, 1941 Died: March 09, 2016 The town has suffered another loss with the passing of Aniela Angie Warner. Angie served as our Municipal Court Judge, but the majority of our residents knew her as our Town Secretary from 1999 through 2010. Angie was such a pleasure to work with as well as a treasured friend. We will miss her dearly.
Shady Shores News P a g e 3 The Keep Shady Shores Beautiful (KSBB) Committee would like to invite everyone to our Great American Clean Up on April 9th from 9:00 am-12:00 noon. KSBB will provide donuts and coffee at the Town Hall during the 9:00 am sign-up. T-shirts will be available for purchase. The prices are $10 for short sleeve and $15 for long sleeve. You may clean up your area, or we will direct you to an area that needs some love. We will have 4 Dumpsters placed around town in various locations. A Shred Truck will be located in the Town Hall front parking lot from10:00 am-12 noon. We would love for you to join us in this community effort to help Keep Shady Shores Beautiful. As an added incentive to clean up Shady Shores, Keep Texas Beautiful will hold an Unusual Item Contest this year The winner will receive a $200 Lowe's gift certificate! If you find something unusual in your clean up area, take a picture of it. Ashlea will add the picture of your "Most Unusual Item" to her event wrap-up report. Items will be judged at the KTB annual conference and the winner announced mid-june. Also, we are in the process of moving the Gazebo from its present location in Olive s Garden to the Town Hall grounds. Volunteers will relocate the Gazebo to the side yard of the building. The KSSB Committee plans to create a Memorial/Honor Garden on this site. We will be selling engraved bricks that say "In Memory of or In Honor of, a unique way to remember or honor a loved one or a friend. We will kick off the sales at the Great American Clean Up. Please, take a moment to find us and "Like" us on Facebook. www.facebook.com/keepshadyshoresbeautiful so that you can stay informed. Ashlea Grimes KSBB Chairperson
P a g e 4 Shady Shores Events Calendar April 9 April 23 May Earth ~ Day Clean Up Flea Market 9:00 am- 3:00 pm Fee $20.00 for a space. Refundable for Shady Shores residents. No Refund for non residents. no event June July 4 August September 17 October 22 November 12 no event Lake Dallas Parade Details to follow. no event Flea Market 9:00 am-3:00 pm. Fee $20.00 for a space. Refundable for Shady Shores residents. No refund for non residents. Hoot n Holler 6:00 8:00 pm. Chili Cook Off 6:30 8:30 pm. December 3 Bazaar 2:00 7:00 pm. Tree Lighting 6:00 pm. Community Events Committee meets in the Town Hall on the Thursday following the Town Council Meeting each month at 9:00 am and will be followed by the Keep Shady Shores Beautiful Committee. Interested residents are welcome to attend one or both committee meetings.
P a g e 5 Enhancing our Pollinators by Using Native Plants It is probably not news that bees, honey bees specifically, are in trouble. To get sufficient bees for pollination of agricultural plants, farmers lease bees to pollinate their fields. I know you are saying, Why should we Care? A May (2015) research report noted "three-quarters of the world's plants need pollinator help to reproduce, and about one-third of every bite of food we take comes via the work of a pollinator, most often a bee. Bee covered in pollen Whether or not we like them, bees are enormously important to maintaining our food supply. The USDA estimates the crop value of bee pollinators is $15 billion a year, and Bee populations are declining at a very rapid rate. Experts give a variety of causes including the loss of native plants to land development-loss of habitat, herbicides, insecticides and bee diseases. Naturally, native plant folks believe that people in our country should rethink insect and weed management strategies on public land and in our yards. We think everyone should be encouraged to plant more pollinator-friendly native plantings. There is a symbiotic relationship between plants and their pollinators developed over eons. When European settlers first came to the U.S., with their plants, native pollinators didn t pollinate those plants effectively, so the settlers had to import European bees! As importantly, noted entomologist Douglas Tallamy says, the urban and suburban landscapes are now the new refuges for pollinators. So, neighbors, each of us can foster the improvement of our environments and the lives of pollinators. All together we can become a mighty force to expand the bee pollinator s population right in our yards. This may mean curtailing the use of pesticides and planting native plants A valuable resource for educating ourselves about native plants can be found on the following link to the Lady Bird Wildlife Center. http://www.wildflower.org/plants/ This particular link will take you to latest edition of the Native Plants Database where you can explore the wealth of native plants in North America. Cecil and Polly Carter
P a g e 6 The Wild Side of Shady Shores Raccoons Photos & Article by Rebecca Morgan The bandit of the wild, aka the Raccoon, is one gorgeous looking creature. With physical features that resemble a fox this stocky animal with short legs and small rounded ears, known for its mask-like black markings around the eyes and ring markings on its tail, is actually related to bears. Being almost exclusively nocturnal, they have excellent night vision and an acute sense of hearing.they are very quick, running as fast as 15 mph, are excellent swimmers and can climb trees well. Raccoons are curious and intelligent creatures. According to experts, they score higher than cats on mammal IQ tests and can make over 51 different sounds. Their front paws are similar to human hands, giving them amazing skills when it comes to opening locks and closed doors. Plus they have the ability to rotate their hind feet a full 180 degrees giving them the ability to climb forward or backward on their way up or down a tree. And they can fall from a height of over 100 feet without being harmed. Raccoons prefer to live in brushy or wooded areas near streams, lakes or swamps but due to urbanization and their adaptability, they have extended their range to towns & cities making dens in attics, barns and storage buildings. Using their highly developed senses of hearing, sight, and touch, raccoons can locate food quite readily. They are omnivores and will eat almost anything feeding on aquatic life, frogs, small rodents, bird eggs, insects, nuts, and fruit. And they will not hesitate to sample human or domestic pet food when available [with one exception, Raccoons don t like tomatoes].
P a g e 7 They will dig through trash cans or compost bins, and they love raiding vegetable gardens to get corn and small melons which is why some homeowners consider them to be pests. Previously thought to be solitary, there is now evidence that related females often share a common area, while unrelated males live together in groups of up to four. In late spring, after 63 days of gestation, female raccoons have 1-4 cubs. The cubs don t have rings around their tails or masks around their eyes, which are closed at birth. [Their eyes open after about 20 days.] Cubs stay in the den for 8-10 weeks and are weaned by three months of age. They remain with their mothers for about a year. Mother raccoons care for and protect their babies very strictly even the father isn t allowed near them Raccoons can live 10-15 years in the wild. Juvenile raccoons fall prey to foxes, bobcats, owls and eagles, but the adults have few natural enemies and are more likely to be killed by an automobile than by another predator.
P a g e 8 On March 31, Volunteers from the KSSB committee and Alderman Tom Newell helped the first grade classes at Stephens Elementary prepare their garden for spring planting. On April 8, KSBB and community volunteers will return to help the first graders plant tomatoes in their garden. The students did a fantastic job and enjoyed the experience. Photographer : Ellie Grimes, 1st grade H e l p f u l n u m b e r s Town Office (940) 498-0044 Service Providers Charter Cable 866-937-2427 Co Serve Gas 940-321-7800 or 800-274-4014 (24-hour) Oncor Electric 888-313-4747 (24-hour) Atmos Energy (Gas) 888-286-6700 Waste Management 800-772-8653 or 800-449-7587 Century Link (Telephone) 940-321-1000 Denton County Household Hazardous Waste 940-349-3250 Lake Cities Library 940-497-3566 Lake Cities Municipal Utility Authority 940-497-2999 Corinth Police Department Non- Emergency 940-498-2017 Lake Cities Fire Department 940-321-2141 Animal Control (All American Dogs) 972-382-3647 Code Enforcement (All American Dogs) 972-382-3647 Lake Dallas Post Office 940-387-8555 These numbers are copied directly from http://www.shady-shores.com