If you are a Westlake resident and a veteran, we would love to recognize you and share your story in Simply Westlake's upcoming November issue. Please contact Susan McFarland, Ginger Awtry, or Diana Raney from the Simply Westlake team for details. And feel free to pass this information along to any fellow servicemen/women in Westlake that you know. Your service is truly appreciated and deserving of honor!   

Various lanes on FM 1709 and FM 1938 will be closed Thursday evening, July 30 at 8 p.m. until Friday morning, July 31 at 6 a.m. to perform traffic signal work and pavement removal. 

Lane closures and traffic switches are subject to changes due to weather and schedule.

Registration for the 2015-2016 school year will be Aug. 4 - 6 in the Multi-Purpose Hall at Westlake Academy. Times will be as follows: Tues: 4-7 pm; Wed: 9 am - 3 pm; Thurs: 4-7 pm. Please remember to bring a copy of your driver's license and current utility bill for proof of residency. Click here for more information including how to a ccess txConnect (the Parent Portal). This is a tool that we now use for both registration and attendance in the fall. Questions? Email WA Registrar.

Ten Westlake Academy students spent part of their summer around the globe participating in a community service immersion program that enriches students lives, as well as those they serve.  

Students Shoulder to Shoulder (SStS) mission is to inspire high school students to engage in responsible global citizenship through on-line study, full immersion service programs, and public presentation. In total, this year's International School of Global Citizenship sent 96 students and 20 course instructors to nine communities across four continents.

Westlake Academy participants included two staff members: Sarah Firsching, as a course instructor in Detroit, and K irsten Siebach as  a course instructor in Cambodia. Students went to several locations domestically and abroad: Nicaragua- Hannah Bumgarner and Makenzy Kunkel, Peru- Simon Perry and Hunter Cochran, Detroit- Riley Nicholson and Cannon Gowe, New Orleans- Audrey McQuietor, Bolivia- Sean Griffith, Pine Ridge, South Dakota- Olivia Withers, and Cambodia- Tanner Wheat.

Westlake has been awarded Gold level Scenic City Certification by Scenic Texas, joining 20 Texas cities earning a five-year certification from 2015-2020!

Westlake was first certified in 2010 as a gold medal recipient in the inaugural class of certified Scenic Cities. In recertifying the city, Scenic Texas took note of Westlake’s conservation of its natural features, including its Tree City USA designation. The program also commended Westlake for its underground utility requirement ad strict signage guidelines, both on-premise and off-premise. 

A reception to present the 2015 municipalities with their Scenic City Certifications will be held Sept. 24, 2015 at The Grand Hyatt in San Antonio, in conjunction with the annual Texas Municipal League conference.  More information about the program can be found at www.sceniccitycertification.org.

While Town Hall does not give out our citizens' emails without permission, many of you have shared your email address with our Simply Westlake publishing team and have recently began receiving informative email blasts from Connie and/or Diana regarding this extraordinary publication.  We want to help spread the word about Simply Westlake sponsored gatherings and about the various opportunities available to residents in helping support it - whether you have a little time or a lot! There are many ways you can contribute and we need your assistance in keeping our exclusive newsletter unique, personal, and fresh.  Please click here to see what social/networking events are coming up and how you can enrich your community's magazine!

A warm and memorable gathering was held last Thursday evening as over 125 people came together around the flagpole at Westlake Academy for a special time with friends and family members to remember and celebrate Barbara Brizuela, our first head of school.  Former and current parents, teachers, students, and administrators were on hand to share with Barbara's husband, daughter, and granddaughter, the impact she had on our community's school and the lives of so many. The Brizuela family will continue to be in our thoughts and prayers, and welcomed here in Westlake for all time.

We want to make sure our residents know about an opportunity to support one of our neighbors and friends Trish Biddle by viewing her Glamourous Women in Fabulous Places exhibit of original oil paintings featured at the Elm Street Studio in Old Town Keller through August 15, 2015. Biddle (right) is pictured with Elm Street owner Shelly Hye.

Earlier this month a reception was held at the studio to celebrate her creative gifts. As many of you know, Trish's works have been published across the globe. Her former textile designer/illustrator background and world travels have enriched her contemporary and figurative paintings, allowing us to appreciate the beauty and joy her passions bring. She has even created special pieces featuring sights and sounds of Westlake from our classic car show to Vaquero!

Thank you Trish for sharing your talents with us and calling Westlake home.  Partial proceeds from the sale of any paintings during this exhibit are being donated to the Arts Council Northeast.  We applaud and appreciate the Biddles support of their hometown and commitment to giving back to many local/community organizations!                                               

Mosquito season is in full swing so let's not forget to drain standing water and use Mosquito Dunks for water areas that cannot be drained. So far this year, no reports of West Nile Virus have been reported in Tarrant or Denton counties. Positive mosquito pools, however, have been found in both counties.  Don't forget to stop by Westlake Town Hall and pick up your complimentary Mosquito Dunks!

Cities in Tarrant County with positive results include Arlington (10), Crowley (5), Edgecliff Village (1), Euless (1), Fort Worth (19), Grapevine (1), Haltom City (2), Hurst (3), Lake Worth (4), North Richland Hills (2), Pantego (2), Richland Hills (3), and Unincorporated (10). In Denton County, positive mosquito pools have been found in Flower Mound (3), Highland Village (5), Lewisville (2), Little Elm (2), Trophy Club (1). For more information, click here for Tarrant County and here for Denton County.