City of University Park                              May  2017
Welcome to UPdate.   This mid-month publication provides residents with timely information about upcoming City projects, programs and events.  You can sign up for things too.       
UP Public Library  
Youth summer reading program starts June 3
Registration for University Park Public Library’s popular summer program, UP With Reading! starts June 3.  This year you have two opportunities to sign-up on the first day.  Toddlers to teens are encouraged to register!


  • Stop by the library in the Plaza at Preston Center that afternoon at 2 o’clock for crafts photos, snacks and fun.  You might even see a pirate or two!
  • That morning from 9 to noon, library staff will also be at the City’s annual Fishing Derby at Caruth Park to register readers. 
If you miss one of those two opportunities to register, you can sign-up online through the City’s website at uptexas.org. Just click on the Library icon.  Online registration won't be available before June 3.

Registered participants can take part in fun activities throughout June and July.  All activities, featuring special guests, will take place at the library on Wednesdays, beginning at 3 p.m.

Here’s the lineup:
  • June 7 - Snake Encounters – see slithering snakes
  • June 14  - Wishing for Wings – puppet show from the Dallas Arboretum
  • June 21 - Mad Science - science-themed show that will amaze and entertain
  • June 28 - Professor Brainius - wild and wacky interactive science experiments
  • July 12 - Take Me to the Stars – Fort Worth Children’s Museum staff
  • July 19 - Arctic Animals - search for Polar Bears and the animals that live among them
  • July 26 – Mr. Phil and Pete the Cat - interactive stories and jokes 
This summer’s UP With Reading theme is “Aim for the Stars.”  Each registered participant will be given a rocket ship to hang in the library.   Prizes will be awarded for 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 hours of reading as hours are achieved.
  • A yard sign for each child who registers
  • A participation certificate for each child who reads 10 hours
  • A space ball for each child who reads 20 hours
  • A book to donate to Reach Out and Read* for each child who reads 30 hours
  • A book bag for each child who reads 40 hours
  • Each child who reads 50 or more hours will be entered into prize drawings
* For the second straight year, the University Park Public Library is proud to partner with the Highland Park Public Library in donating books to a local charity.  This year’s charity is Reach Out and Read, a group that incorporates books into pediatric care and encourages families to read aloud together.

Readers Cup trophy

The HPISD school whose students collectively read the most hours will be awarded the Readers Cup trophy.  Hyer Elementary School is the current champion. 

UP With Reading is funded by:


Upcoming Library Event
Saturday, May 27
UP@ the Library Family Time

Craftapalooza

2 p.m. - Come get messy with us as we craft the afternoon away!  Make sure you bring your imagination, we will supply everything else.


Program Sponsors: Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate & Christine McKenny 
Parks and Recreation Department
Annual Children's Fishing Derby - June 3

The pond will be stocked and the fish will be biting! The City of University Park will host this year’s Children’s Fishing Derby on Saturday, June 3 at Caruth Park from 9 a.m. to noon. Children must bring their own pole and bait. “Catch and Release” procedures will be followed.

Lots of activities

Each hour awards will be presented for the largest and smallest fish caught!  In addition, there will be children’s entertainment, a photo booth and various local business sponsors will be onsite.  For more information about the event, contact the Parks and Recreation Department at 214-987-5488.


Event Title Sponsors:
2017 Pool Passes on sale - Season begins May 27

Head to the Holmes Aquatic Center this summer! The Holmes Aquatic Center opens for the 2017 summer season on Saturday, May 27.  Our aquatics facility features a 50-meter pool, a sprayground and baby pool area, a water slide, and both 3- and 1- meter diving boards. 

Shark School swim lessons at the Holmes Aquatic Center

Holmes Aquatic Center kicks off the summer with Shark School! Five distinct levels focus on pool safety and development of swim strokes, as well as lake and boating safety. An additional Toddler Aquatics class focuses on introducing aquatics and water play in a safe, fun environment that leads to swim lesson readiness.
Community Events


Friends of UP Public Library Splash Bash - May 26

Bring the entire family to a private pool party at the Holmes Aquatic Center to benefit UP Public Library.

Here’s your chance to get a jump on pool season, spend time with family and friends and benefit your neighborhood library.  Come to the Friends 3rd annual Splash Bash!  On Friday, May 26, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. enjoy a cookout dinner with hamburgers and hot dogs, music, the main pool and diving boards, the water slide and sprayground.  Lifeguards will be on duty.

Reserve your spot and get a discount price when you join the 2017 Friends of the UPPL. Tickets are $50 for a Friends-member family pass, $75 for a non-member family pass and $15 for individuals.  Register online or mail a check, with the number in your group and an email address, to Friends of UPPL, 3419 Westminster, Suite 335-G, Dallas, TX 75205.  To register online, click on the bar below.   
 
Please note, the rainout date for this event is Friday, August 25.
Fire Department
Push-In ceremony

Early this month, the department held a brief Push-In ceremony to celebrate the delivery of their new truck and new engine.  The tradition dates back to the  decades of horse-drawn fire equipment.  Each time firefighters returned to their stations, since the horses couldn't back the engines into place, the firefighters pushed them into position.

The new engine features improved pumping capacity and produces flows that are needed to extinguish large structure fires.  The new truck will assure roof access to the City's taller buildings.

HPISD students and Risk Watch

Designed for students from kindergarten  to 8th grade, Risk Watch is a program that was developed by the National Fire Prevention Association.  UPFD is working with the Highland Park Public Safety Department and HPISD to provide kids with the information they need to make positive choices about their personal safety and well-being.   The instruction, presented by local public safety personnel, focuses on key risk areas:  

  • Motor vehicle safety
  • Fire and burn safety 
  • Choking
  • Suffocation
  • Strangulation
  • Falls
  • Firearms safety
  • Bike and pedestrian safety
  • Water safety
Recently UPFD Fire Marshal Marty Corn talked with kindergarten students at UP Elementary School about smoke alarms and "stop, drop, and roll." We hope to expand the program and involve older kids next fall.  
Public Works  


National Public Works Week - May 21-27

Established in 1960 by the American Public Works Association, National Public Works Week seeks to energize and educate communities across the U.S. and Canada regarding the vital tasks that public works professionals perform on a daily basis.  

In University Park, the Public Works Department includes 86 professionals who:
  • maintain more than 6,000 traffic signs, 33 traffic signals, and 113 decorative street lights as well as pavement markings, public parking areas, and other miscellaneous traffic control devices;
  • maintain and repair 74 miles of street pavement, 40 miles of alley pavement, 89 miles of water mains, 63 miles of sanitary sewer mains, 25 miles of storm sewer mains, and 2 elevated water storage tanks;
  • maintain and repair over 152,000 square foot of City facilities;
  • collect and dispose of garbage, yard waste, and recycling from more than 8,300 homes and businesses;
  • manage the planning, design, and construction of infrastructure replacement projects;
  • provide information and support to residents requesting service;
  • ensure State and Federal program requirements are met or exceeded.
It's tough to get everyone in the Public Works Department together for a  photo.  Not many department members are missing from this group shot.  It was taken last year from the Peek Service Center roof. 
City Hall

University Park - Our Community through the years

Many of our former city leaders have memories of University Park that date back to the 1930s.  So that we could record their stories for current and future residents to enjoy, City staff recently sat down with six former mayors to get their thoughts on our neighborhoods then and now, our city traditions, community partners and institutions and our leadership and governance.  Current Mayor Olin Lane also participated in the storytelling.

This 17-minute video is divided into five segments:

  • The Early Years 1930s - 1940s
  • Community Traditions
  • HPISD & SMU
  • City Service/Management
  • What Does University Park Mean To You?
City Buildings - Memorial Day Holiday

City Hall and the Peek Service Center will be closed Monday, May 29 in celebration of Memorial Day. 
Sign up for Water My Yard

Deciding when and how much to water your lawn during the spring and summer seasons can be challenging.  Residents now have a quick and definitive way to answer those questions.  Sponsored by the Dallas County Park Cities Municipal Utilities District, the Park Cities are now part of the Water My Yard program.  Offered by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, this free online tool helps you determine how much supplemental water is needed to maintain a healthy lawn year-round. 

Weekly updates from Water My Yard

To learn more about the Water My Yard program, click on the bar below.  It only takes a few short online steps before you are set up to receive automated emails or text-messages with weekly watering guidance that is based on weather and soil conditions in the Park Cities. 

Upcoming City Meetings & Events 

 City of University Park | 214 - 363 - 1644 | www.uptexas.org