January News Releases
January 29, 2009 Mayor Archibald to deliver State of the City address ABILENE, Texas – Mayor Norm Archibald will present the second annual State of the City address on Thursday February 5 in Conference Room Two in the North Wing of the Abilene Civic Center, 1100 North 6th Street. The program begins at 10:30 a.m. The public is invited to attend the State of the City event. TV Channel 7, the City’s education/government channel, will rebroadcast Mayor Archibald’s State of the City address on the following days and times:
January 27, 2009 State of the City address postponed due to weather ABILENE, Texas – The continued threat of icy road conditions into the morning hours has prompted the postponement of tomorrow’s State of the City address. Mayor Norm Archibald was scheduled to present the second annual address at the Abilene City Center Wednesday morning. A future time and date for the event will be announced.
Winter weather impacts city services ABILENE, Texas – Due to icy conditions, Street Services crews began sanding city roads around 3:00 a.m. Tuesday morning. They will continue to do so until road conditions improve. Poor weather conditions have prompted the following schedule changes:
Abilene Regional Airport remains open at this time. However, the public is advised to call American Airlines/American Eagle ahead of time to check on flight arrivals and departures. The phone number to call is 1-800-242-4444. For the latest updates, go online to the City of Abilene website, www.abilenetx.com.
Register now for the 11th Annual Daddy/Daughter Valentine’s Day Dinner and Dance ABILENE, Texas – Come celebrate at the 11th annual Daddy/Daughter Valentine’s Day Dinner and Dance scheduled for the night of Thursday, February 12 at the Abilene Civic Center. The City of Abilene’s Recreation and Senior Citizens Divisions are once again sponsoring the event for Dads, Granddads or Best Gentlemen Friend and their “Special Valentine”.
This year’s dinner and dance features a night of food, fun and lots of dancing along with song requests and door prizes.
The registration deadline is Monday, February 9. Seating is limited and no tickets will be sold at the door. Tickets are available at the Community Services office, 633 Walnut. For more information, call 734-5301.
January 22, 2009 Abilene Regional Airport begins search for new restaurant operator ABILENE, Texas – GW’s Burgers and More is closing its restaurant and gift shop in the Abilene Regional Airport terminal at 6:00 p.m. Friday, January 23. The owners, Roger and Susie Forkner, cited personal reasons for closing. GW’s has been in the terminal since October 2007. Director of Aviation Don Green said “GW’s will be missed by passengers, airport area employees and others who ate here. GW’s had a reputation for great burgers in town and we were happy to have them at the airport. They developed a good lunch clientele here and even expanded their menu.” The City of Abilene is taking immediate steps to replace GW’s.
January 15, 2009 Director of Aviation receives professional accreditation ABILENE, Texas – Abilene Regional Airport Director of Aviation Don Green has been awarded the distinction of Accredited Airport Executive (A.A.E.) by the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) To qualify for this professional accreditation, Don had to successfully complete the three phases of the accreditation process including a final interview by a panel of A.A.E.’s to demonstrate his knowledge of airport management, business administration and general transportation economics. At present, fewer than 10 percent of AAAE’s members throughout the country have earned the accreditation.
January 8, 2009 City Council appoints Golf Course Citizens Committee ABILENE, Texas – During today’s meeting, the Abilene City Council appointed 14 citizens, including a chairperson, to the Golf Course Citizens Committee. The citizens committee is an advisory committee so it will provide a recommendation to the City Council regarding the possible purchase of the Diamondback Golf Course. Following the committee’s report, the City Council would then vote in favor or against the authorization to initiate the purchase process. While the citizens committee will begin to meet as soon as possible, no deadline has been set yet for when the committee will report back to the City Council with its findings. The citizens who will serve on the ad hoc committee are: Frank Johnson (chair), Cole Bennett, Lawrence Bertsch, Byron Vaughan, Linda Carleton, Joe Crowder, David Gage, Kyle Grigsby, Petty Hunter, Scott Jones, Dr. Merlin Morrow, Mark Powell, Debi Schultz and Kris Southward. The Council has asked the citizens committee to find answers to the following questions:
The creation of a citizens committee came about from discussions surrounding the possible purchase of Diamondback. The owner, Lytle Creek Golf Links, has offered to sell Diamondback to the City for $2.5 million. Since 1949, the City has owned Maxwell Municipal Golf Course. Currently, the City is providing $6,000 per month to West Texas Golf Systems to operate Maxwell.
January 7, 2009 Most City offices to close for Martin Luther King, Jr ABILENE, Texas – In observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, most City of Abilene offices and community service centers will be closed on Monday, January 19, with the exception of those providing life safety services such as fire and police protection. The Abilene Animal Shelter will be closed January 19. Citizens with an Animal Control emergency may call the Abilene Police Department at 673-8331 and an Animal Services Officer will be available to respond. Any animal that is picked up as a stray during the holiday will be attended to at the shelter. The Animal Shelter will re-open on Tuesday, January 20 at 9 a.m. to resume normal business hours. Solid Waste Services division offices will not be open January 19. There will be no residential refuse collection on Monday. Residents who would normally receive collection service on January 19 will receive service the following Thursday, January 22. Residents who are scheduled for curbside brush and bulky refuse collection on January 19 will receive service the next day, beginning Tuesday, January 20. Commercial refuse collection will continue as scheduled. The Environmental Recycling Center (ERC) will also be closed Monday. The ERC will resume regular business hours on Tuesday. CityLink Transit will run regular hours on January 19. The Abilene Zoo will be open regular hours, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., on January 19. The Municipal Court will be closed on January 19. All citations due January 19 will be due on January 20 with no penalty. Other City closings for January 19 include: City Hall, the Water Office, Health Division, all Abilene Public Library locations, Abilene Civic Center, the Development Corporation of Abilene, the Airport Administration Office and City Recreation and Senior Citizen centers. The Water Services Center, 701 E. Hwy. 80, will be open on January 19, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m., to take delinquent payments for customers whose water has been turned off and for new customers needing water service. For water emergencies, sewer problems and reports of water conservation ordinance violations, citizens may call the Water Services Center’s emergency hotline, 676-6000, seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
January 5, 2009 Mayor Archibald to deliver 2009 State of the City address ABILENE, Texas – Mayor Norm Archibald will present the second annual State of the City address on Wednesday, January 28 in Conference Room Two in the North Wing of the Abilene Civic Center, 1100 North 6th Street. The program begins at 10:30 a.m. The public is invited to attend the State of the City event. TV Channel 7, the City’s education/government channel, will rebroadcast Mayor Archibald’s State of the City address on the following days and times:
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