Vol.4 Issue 6 June 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 Hello Shady Shores Residents I am humbled to be appointed your mayor. I would like to thank the super staff and Town Council for their support, assistance, and hardworking efforts. Without them, the role of mayor would be very difficult to perform. Thank you. I would also like to thank all of the residents who attended the most recent Town Council meeting. It was inspiring to see the number of people who took the time to attend. I know many of you have an interest and opinions about the ongoing discussions about the fire department options. The Council is doing indepth research, has had presentations from multiple fire departments, discussions with other towns and conversations during Council meetings. The Council is working very diligently to evaluate the current contract and review options to make sure that they select the best option for the Town. The Council always wants to hear what the residents value on this and other topics. It is important for you to express your opinion to the Council via the Council meetings, email or phone calls to them. So keep up the interest and I will see many of you at the next council meeting! On another note, I need to mention how important it is to respect traffic barricades. The Town recently had to place barricades on Fritz Lane. The roadbed has washed out from under the asphalt. It is very unsafe and needs repair. The Town engineers, staff, and Council are working to repair the road quickly and correctly. Unfortunately, some people drove around the barricades and some even removed them. It is unsafe and illegal to drive around the barricades or to remove them. Please spread the word that this is a very bad idea, and we should respect the traffic barricades. Also, note the town has installed new traffic gates on South Shady Shores Road to be utilized when the lake floods the road. Looking forward to seeing you at the Council Meetings or hearing from you via email. Cindy Aughinbaugh Mayor of the Town of Shady Shores
S h a d y S h o r e s N e w s P a g e 2 Notes from Town Hall by Wendy Withers Congratulations to Cindy Aughinbaugh who was appointed to serve as Mayor for the remainder of Mayor Cindy Spencer s term (May 2017). Cindy A. who was elected Mayor Pro Tem for a second term in 2015, has been serving as Mayor since August 2015. Hats off as well to Paula Woolworth who was appointed to serve as Mayor Pro Tem for the next year. Paula is an active council member and involved in many projects in and around town. Many of you were present to voice your support of the Lake Cities Fire Department. Thank you! Town Council is always ready to hear the comments and concerns of the residents they serve. At this time Council is not ready to make a decision; they are simply investigating the options that are available. Mach Hohenberger from the Emergency Services District (ESD) #1 gave a presentation at the March 2016 Town Council meeting, and the Lake Cities Fire Department gave a presentation about their department and services at the April 2016 Town Council Meeting. I encourage you to continue coming to the council meetings to hear the information that is presented. Randy Brazell from Charter was present at the meeting to hear concerns from the council and residents and address future plans and infrastructure. Council directed Mr. Brazell to seek information about scheduled improvements to Charter s infrastructure so that internet speeds might improve. Updates will be given as we receive them. Other issues discussed included maintenance; use and safety at the boat ramp; sales tax allocation and the settlement with Waste Management regarding the mishandling of the recycled materials. Town Staff present preliminary budget figures for the 2016/2017 Fiscal Year Budget. As always please contact the town staff with any questions, we are always happy to meet and talk with our residents. Town Hall will be closed on July 4 th, 2016. Amber and I wish each of you a safe and happy Independence Day. Wendy Withers Town Secretary COUNCIL MEMBER APPOINTMENT Appointing Mrs. Aughinbaugh to serve as Mayor leaves a vacancy on the Town Council. Local Government Code authorizes the Town Council to appoint an individual to serve in the event of a vacancy. Applicants who are interested in serving on the Town Council should fill out the Application Form. Applicants will be interviewed at the July 11, 2016 regular town council meeting. To be eligible for appointment, applicants must be 1) 18 years of age 2) registered voter 3) resident of Shady Shores for 12 months. For more information about serving on the Town Council please contact the Town Secretary, Wendy Withers 940.498.0044 or by email at town.secretary@shady-shores.com
S h a d y S h o r e s N e w s P a g e 2 Cindy Aughinbaugh is sworn in by Town Secretary, Wendy Withers. Charles Grimes is. sworn in by Mayor Aughinbaugh for his 6th term. He will serve as Alderman Place 5 until May 2018. Cindy Aughinbaugh will serve as Mayor of Shady Shores She will serve in this position until May 2017. Paula Woolworth will serve as Mayor Pro-Tem of Shady Shores She will serve in this position until May 2017. Matthew Haines will be sworn in as Alderman Place I at a later date. He will serve in this position until May 2018
Shady Shores News P a g e 4 The Green Side of Shady Shores by Cecil and Polly The Decision to Lawn The lawn care industry estimates that lawn care costs about $17.0 Billion annually. A bit of history. In the scheme of things, lawns are a recent phenomenon. At first, lawns were only afforded by the wealthy and royalty. The primary reason was the cost of mowing. Until the 1830s, there was no mechanical mower. As late as 1910, the White House lawn was mowed by what? Sheep! Lawns were not popular until the small gasoline powered lawn mower made its debut. Lawns take a lot of resources. The lawn cycle is to plant seed or sod, then add water and fertilizer and more water and wait. Then we must mow the lawn which means a mower, gasoline, and time. Or as 23 million of our neighbors do, hire a service to mow. Then the clippings must be bagged and taken to the landfill, causing another issue. Then guess what, we start back at the mowing cycle in about ten days. But lawns have many hidden costs. The first is over fertilization. Most rivers, downstream of big urban areas experience algae blooms in the summer. People use the theory if a little is good, a lot must be better. The second cost is it takes more to clean water with algae in it. In the LCMUA area, the average annual family water consumption is about 5,000 gallons per month. In some other water systems, there are reports of persons using over 20,000 gallons monthly. There is also an estimate that during the summer months, 50% of the urban water usage is for lawns. There are some beautiful ground covers you can substitute for grass. Another option is to plant native grasses. In our yard, we just do not water grass. I just say if it lives, it lives, and if it dies, it dies. And you know what?.it doesn t die. Question: How big would our lawns be if we still had to use one of these? Cecil and Polly
S h a d y S h o r e s N e w s P a g e 5 Come One, Come All Lake Dallas Public Library presents Get Your Game On! All ages meet at the Shady Shores Town Hall and Community Center on Monday, July 11th from 12-1 for activities and fun stories. There will be an ice cold snack for you too. See you then. For any questions contact Tina at 940-497-3566. Ashley Grimes, KSSB chairperson, announced a third option for the engraved memorial brick. You may opt to purchase a brick engraved with only the name of the person you wish to honor or memorialize.
S h a d y S h o r e s N e w s P a g e 6 The Wild Side of Shady Shores Box Turtles Photos & Article by Rebecca Morgan Turtles were underfoot in the age of the dinosaurs and, unlike most terrestrial species; they managed to live through the impact of the massive comet that slammed into the sea off the Yucatan Peninsula 65 million years ago. Their ability to eat whatever is available including dead plants and carrion, allowed them to survive as the dinosaurs died, making turtles the oldest reptiles on earth. As in all cold-blooded reptiles, they are most active between April and October. Reptiles rely on the temperature around them to regulate their body temperature. In mid-day, they are less active retreating to the shade of shrubs or burrows to keep cool. They come out in the milder temperatures of dawn and dusk to search for food. The most common box turtle found in our area is the Ornate Box Turtle. This turtle gets its name from the distinctive yellowish lines radiating across each segment of the dark brownish background of their hard upper shells. Their color is highly variable, but in general you can distinguish the male from the female based on the color of their eyes. Males have bright reddish-orange eyes while females have brown to tan eyes. The thing that makes box turtles so unique is the hinge in their lower shells. This hinge allows them to completely withdraw their head, legs and tail into the shell protecting them from the bite of a coyote, raccoon, fox, crow, skunk or opossum. Unfortunately, it will not protect them from being crushed by a motor vehicle when they try to cross roads. Please watch out for these harmless little creatures as you drive around. You might even consider stopping and giving them a safe ride to the other side if you can do so without putting yourself in danger.
S h a d y S h o r e s N e w s P a g e 7 If you decide to help a turtle, you should pick it up carefully by the sides of its shell, and be sure to hold it away from you. Out of fear, turtles will usually empty their bladders when picked up. Also, do not move them to what you think would be a safer place for them to live. A box turtle spends its entire life, which can be up to 50 years, within an area of only a few acres. Being taken from its home range, then released in another range, is catastrophic for this armored homebody. They will spend the rest of their lives desperately searching for their home territory. Due to their long life spans, box turtles do not reach sexual maturity until they are about seven years of age. After mating, the female can store sperm and produce several egg clutches which she deposits in shallow nests she digs in moist well-drained soil. A box turtle may lay several hundred eggs during her lifetime, but usually, only a handful will survive to adulthood. This low survival rate is because after laying the eggs, she abandons the nest, leaving the coming hatchlings to fend for themselves. The hatchlings, being about the size of a quarter, remain close to their birth site through their first fall and winter. This time is a very difficult period for the vulnerable young turtles as they fall prey to hunger, predators, development, agricultural activities and the pet trade. Note: the commercial trade of most turtles in Texas is illegal. Once common throughout the state, recent population declines have been a cause for concern. A project tracking box turtles is looking for Texans to report where these beautiful animals are found. You can help by completing the form at www.tpwd.state.tx.us/boxturtles each time you see a box turtle.
P a g e 8 S h a d y S h o r e s N e w s Community Events Calendar August 20 September 17 October 22 November 12 100th Birthday Celebration honoring Olive Stephens. Rededication of Olive s Garden. 10:00 am 1:00 pm. Town Hall. 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. No events are planned for June and July. Events will begin in Shady Shores in August with a spectacular Birthday Party for Olive Stephens on her 100th Birthday, August 20th. At this time, we will rededicate Olive s Garden on its new site at the Town Hall. The KSSB fall clean up dates will be announced soon. Community Events Committee meets monthly at 9:00 am in the Town Hall on the Thursday following the Town Council Meeting. The CEC meeting will be followed by the Keep Shady Shores Beautiful Committee. Interested residents are welcome to attend one or both committee meetings.
S h a d y S h o r e s N e w s P a g e 9 South Shady Shores Road Wendy Withers June 6, 2016 South Shady Shores Road remains closed. A huge thank you to Commissioner Hugh Coleman and Denton Commissioners Court for providing the flood gates seen in the June 21,2016 picture. Although the road appears dry, it must remain closed until it is completely dried out. If the road does not completely dry, more serious damage can occur. The Town Engineer will authorize the opening the road. The new barriers were installed because many motorist have either moved the previous barriers or driven through them. June 21, 2016 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 Community Waste Disposal 972-392-9300 or 817-795-9300 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