Mark Clayton For Dallas City Council District 9

I wanted with my last post to take a moment and tell all of you how thankful I am that you allowed me to serve you these last four years. It has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life. It has given me a chance to make positive change on a scale that I never thought I would have and to meet some of the most humble, thoughtful and positive neighbors, public officials, and staff.

My last vote this week finalized the $6.2 million aquatics center at Harry Stone that will go live next year. This goes with the ongoing revitalization of the Casa View Shopping Center and its corridor on both sides of Ferguson. These changes are going to transform an area that has been under served for years and is one example of something I'll look back years from now and be able to say I did some good in my community. I would've never been given that opportunity if you guys didn't give me the chance to have the check book for a few terms. Thank you.

I wish my successor Paula Blackmon the best as she takes on this amazing privilege. It's a wonderful job for all the reasons I mentioned and even more that I haven't. It's also very tough and she is going to face challenges and unfunded mandates that I never had to deal with. District 9 is also a smart, well informed and neighborhood centric district that expects more of its officials than some other communities. The bar is set very high. I'm thankful that you guys have always been very kind to me even when you were frustrated. I hope she experiences the same civility, wit, sarcastic civil protests (i.e occasional rubber duckies in our unattended lazy rivers that we created among major thoroughfares while doing roadwork) that I got to see. The hardest days were made better because the customers I served had perspective and class. I'm probably most thankful for that in an era of social media that allows for our worst parts to be expressed and the first opinion that resembles the possibility to be a fact is amplified, shared liked and retweeted.

I'm now going back to having one job and my staff already is sick of me. My wife saw a letter today that said the Honorable Mark Clayton and I reminded her that's a thing like an honorary degree. I think her life force drained knowing that for the next 30 years I'll be able to tell her about my glory days like the high school athlete who peaked every time I get bulk mail asking for a donation. She can't escape it.

She's the most talented, smart and beautiful person I've ever met and would've been 100 times better than me at this job. I know that because we both do the same job now and she is always, always better than me. But the best part of her is she would never say it and you would never know it. She put up with four years of me getting to act like a big deal when she lives with my Dad jokes, inability to look down for anything and my amazing capacity to have laundry pile up in front of me like the Maginot Line. She's the talent but will now get an occasional reminder via mail that her blockhead husband once had a pretty cool job thanks to all of you.

I love you guys and I love that you trusted me with a gift that I can't ever repay. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm going on vacation now!

National Lampoon's Vacation Running Scene National Lampoon's Vacation Running Scene

This will be a long one, so please bear with me. Thank you for your patience and understanding as Oncor and the City of Dallas work tirelessly to restore power, clear city streets, and fix street lights. Today we received updates from the City of Dallas Transportation Department and Oncor. We also wanted to take the opportunity to clear up some confusion regarding bulk trash and storm debris pick up.

Oncor Update:
We are pleased our crews and contractors have made substantial progress in the restoration process. This storm caused over 350,000 power outages. Currently there are approximately 9,000 customers within the city of Dallas without electric service due to the storm. Oncor crews and contractors remain focused on restoring service to these remaining customers as safely and quickly as possible. In some areas where there is major structural damage; it is necessary to reconstruct much of the infrastructure before electric service can be restored. More than 2,500 mutual assistance personnel from Alabama Power, CenterPoint, Texas New Mexico Power, American Electric Power, Entergy (Louisiana), Mississippi Power, and El Paso, are working with us to restore service. We will continue working and restoring power until service is restored to every location impacted by this storm.

We are still on target to complete the vast majority of power restorations by this evening. Customers in hard-hit areas may see restoration times on Thursday.

In an effort to prevent frustration and help avoid the possibility of extended outages, we are encouraging those customers who are without power and are able to examine their meter base and weatherhead; to confirm this equipment has not been damaged or pulled off. (A graphic illustrating this potential issue is attached.)

If damage has occurred, Oncor will be unable to restore power until a licensed electrician makes the necessary repairs first. It is imperative customers requiring a city inspection use a licensed contractor in accordance with the city's Emergency Power Release policy.

We will continue working with city staff to respond to customer calls and concerns. We sincerely appreciate the support, feedback and information shared to assist us in this restoration effort. We are working to contact each customer you have requested we assist to address their concerns. We understand any service interruption can be extremely frustrating, and an extended outage only increases that frustration and hardships. The patience and understanding of our customers has been greatly appreciated. We will continue working to restore service as safely and quickly as possible.

Please keep these post-storm safety tips in mind:
If you see a downed power line, leave the area and call 9-1-1. In addition to the downed line potentially being electrified, anything touching the power line, such as a tree branch, could also be electrified. Keep pets, children and others away from the area.
Do not attempt to remove debris and tree limbs from areas near power lines. The debris may be concealing a live wire or downed power line.
Use caution when traveling on the roadways, especially in areas with heavy debris and streetlights without power.
If you are experiencing an emergency event, call 911 immediately.

Customers can report outages at Oncor.com or call 888-313-4747.

City of Dallas Department of Transportation:

Sunday's weather emergency impacted the majority of our signal infrastructure, resulting in signals flashing, communication outages, knocked down signals and hundreds of turned and damaged signal heads. Over the last 48 hours we have restored over 600 signals to normal operations. As of 10:00 am today there are 197 communication outages, 25 signals flashing, 8 that are knocked down and hundreds of turned and damaged signal heads that need to be reset, utilizing bucket trucks or replaced entirely due to irreparable damage.

Every available team member is out restoring our system. We are very grateful to the Cities' of Garland, Arlington and Richardson for providing additional assistance as we work to recover from this emergency.

Dark Signals: What Happens when a Traffic Signal Loses Power?

The signals are on the same electrical grid as neighboring businesses and/or residences.
As the power is restored, one of three things can happen:
1) The traffic signal can restart and begin to operate as normal.
2) The traffic signal might be damaged and will go into a flashing mode. A technician will have to visit the site and reset the signal and look for damage to repair.
3) The signal might also stay dark because a circuit breaker (similar to the one's in everyone's houses) has 'popped' and a technician will need to reset and or repair the signal.

What To Do When Traffic Signals Aren't Working?
Here are some widely accepted safety tips for motorist during a Traffic Signal Outage:
Treat the intersection like a four-way stop
The first vehicle to come to a complete stop at the intersection goes first
If two vehicles arrive and stop at the same time, the one on the right goes first
If two vehicles stop at the intersection at about the same time and are facing each other, the one making a left turn yields to the one going straight through. Otherwise, both vehicles proceed straight through at the same time.
In all cases, yield to pedestrians
Before entering the intersection, be sure other approaching vehicles are following the rules and coming to a complete stop

Bulk Trash and Storm Debris Pick Up
For the month of June and July, Code Compliance will suspend bulk trash citations for storm debris only.

June - During the month of June, bulk trash will continue as planned. You may place both storm debris and regular bulk trash out. Due to the sheer volume of debris, it is likely that the bulk trash pick up in your neighborhood will be delayed. Please do not be surprised if it is not picked up on time.

July - During the month of July, the City will only collect storm debris. Please do not place regular bulk trash items out as it will not be picked up.

August - Bulk trash is set to resume as normal.

In the meantime, if you would like to deliver storm debris to one of the City's transfer stations on your own, please log on to dallaszerowaste.com and select "McCommas Bluff Landfill" for a list of transfer station operating hours and days. Please bring a valid drivers license with your Dallas address and a bill (water, electricity, internet) to prove your residency. Cars, station wagons, pickup trucks or trailers less than fifteen feet in length are no charge at the landfill and transfer stations. These are only open to self-haul on certain days. Please double check this before you drop off storm debris.

Oncor Update as of 8:39PM, Monday June 10th:

Oncor has restored power to more than 140,000 customers. The peak number of outages as a result of Sunday's storms was more than 350,000 customers. While crews continue to restore power, their efforts have been hindered by fallen trees and other debris which has caused poor driving conditions. In these heavily damaged areas, wide swaths of power lines and distribution equipment are not only being repaired but must also be reconstructed.

Based on experience with previous severe storms such as these, Oncor estimates that the vast majority of customers will have their power restored by late Wednesday. However, due to the unusually extensive damage from this storm, restoration for some customers may stretch into Thursday. Oncor recognizes the hardships and inconveniences customers experience after severe storms like this one and remains focused on restoring power as quickly and safely as possible. Crews continue to work around the clock and more than 2,500 additional workers will join restoration efforts on Tuesday. Utility partners joining the effort are from Texas and states including, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Oncor encourages customers who are without power to examine their meter base and weatherhead to ensure they have not been damaged or pulled off. If any of these have occurred, customers need to contact an electrician to make necessary repairs before Oncor can restore power. Customers may also need to obtain a city inspection. Power restoration in these cases will take longer to complete. A graphic illustrating this potential issue is available at thewire.oncor.com.

Oncor thanks our customers for their continued patience and encourages everyone to check on loved ones and neighbors who may be impacted by power outages, especially those who are older or disabled.

As restoration continues, please keep these post-storm safety tips in mind:
* If you see a downed power line, leave the area and call 9-1-1. In addition to the downed line potentially being electrified, anything touching the power line, such as a tree branch, could also be electrified. Keep pets, children and others away from the area.

* Do not attempt to remove debris and tree limbs from areas near power lines. The debris may be concealing a live wire or downed power line.

* Use caution when traveling on the roadways, especially in areas with heavy debris and streetlights without power.

* If you are experiencing an emergency event, call 911 immediately. Customers can report outages at Oncor.com or call 888-313-4747.

My office will keep you updated as we learn more.

I hope you and yours are safe after the storm yesterday. I wanted to update you on what the City is doing to get everything up and running again.

Traffic Signals: We are prioritizing getting traffic signals that are completely out up and running. Crews will be placing stop signs at all locations that are down or completely out. Please treat any signal that is completely out as an all-way stop.

Bulk Trash/Storm Debris Pick Up: 3-1-1 and Code Compliance will suspend ticketing for bulk trash. Bulk trash will continue for the month of June. In July, bulk and brush trash will be limited to the collection of storm debris. Regular bulk trash will resume August 1st. Residents with storm debris can set it out in their designated brush/bulk trash collection spot. Code compliance will suspend enforcement of brush/bulk violations for storm debris set outs only. You may also utilize the City’s transfer stations during designated days to self-haul debris. Log on to dallaszerowaste.com for a list of transfer station operating hours and days available.

Downed Trees, Flooding and Traffic Signal Outages: Due to a high volume of calls, residents may experience a busy signal when contacting 3-1-1. Please hang up and call right back. Please only call contact 3-1-1 for downed trees, flooding and traffic light outages. We ask that you not contact 3-1-1 regarding downed power outages as this is handled by Oncor.

Power Outages: Call Oncor at 888-313-4747.

9-1-1: 9-1-1 is operational. Due to high call volumes, you may get a busy signal. Please hang up and call right back.

The Latino Cultural Center is currently being used as a respite for residents without power or in need. The City of Dallas Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is also operating its command center out of this location. OEM is coordinating efforts with Dallas Fire Rescue, Dallas Police Department, and the Red Cross as well as the collapsed building on Live Oak.

My office will continue to update you as more details become available. We are here for you. Please reach out if we can be of any assistance.

I wanted to update you on four new sidewalk projects that will be completed by the end of 2019. These projects are separate from maintenance, repairs, ADA retrofits that will be coming to existing sidewalks. These sidewalks are where none exist today and were ranked based on a significant risk for pedestrians to get to school, the park system or where there are high rates of traffic and blind curves. These projects will begin early summer.

The first is at Lippitt and Sinclair. The sidewalk will connect Creekmere at the turn to the neighborhood park.
The second is the 146 block of Easton Road to Northwest Highway.
The third is on Lake Highlands Drive from Buckner to Easton.
The fourth is on Ruidosa Road from Shiloh to Casa View Elementary.

The Spay Neuter Network is offering free spaying, neutering, vaccinations and microchips for dogs in some zip codes in District 9. Schedule your appointment before funding runs out!

Here is the latest update on the Lakeland bridge. The full text is listed below. It is scheduled for completion by December of this year. In the meantime, I've copied the image of what the final product will look like.

"The City of Dallas is working with Iowa Bridge & Culvert, LLC to complete the Lakeland Bridge improvements. The first bridge near Lakeland and Ash Grove Way was completed in November 2018 and is currently open. The second bridge is closed,and AT&T is currently working to relocate their utilities in conflict with the new bridge piers. Once AT&T relocates their utilities, Iowa Bridge & Culvert, LLC will be able to resume work on the project and complete the second bridge.

City staff and the City contractor continue to coordinate with AT&T to complete the cable transfer. AT&T is currently relocating the conduits and associated cables and is anticipated to be complete before the end of June 2019, weatherpermitting. Accordingly, the timeline of construction activities has been updated as follows:

Timeline

Construction Activity

Current Status as of May 23, 2019


April 3, 2019

AT&T contractor will complete new trench and install empty conduit pipes.

100% Complete


April 4, 2019 - June 2019

AT&T will transfer copper and fiber optic wires from old existing lines to new conduit runs.

75% Completed


July 2019

City contractor Iowa Bridge & Culvert LLC to remobilize and begin second bridge construction work.

N/A


December 2019

Estimated completion of Lakeland Bridge improvements project

N/A

Upon completion of the AT&T cable transfer, the City’s contractor will resume the bridge construction with an anticipated completion of December 2019. The contractor has been instructed to update the project sign to reflect the current completion estimate of December 2019.

Bulk Trash Collection Update--We received the following from Sanitation staff yesterday:

"Due to spring volume surges and unfavorable weather, Week 1 of bulk and brush collection was delayed. Sanitation Services crews will be joined by Code Compliance, Public Works, and outside contractors to ensure that collection gets back on schedule. Week 1 was to be completed by Tuesday, May 14, and Week 2 by Saturday, May 18."

Please call 311, use the 311 app, or contact our office if you continue to have issues.

Check out this free and informative event on Saturday at City Hall!

I ran across this summer soccer camp at Randall Park the other day and thought I would share it. This is a partnership with Friends of Lakewood and is being coached by Lakewood/East Dallas coaches. Steve Davis; who is the longtime soccer writer for the Dallas Morning News, NBC Sports and others and is currently the FC Dallas Television Analyst is running the camp and its programming. The camp is for boys and girls of all levels ages 6-14. I've attached the link to their website.

This is a good group doing an affordable camp in East Dallas. I know in my house that my lovely bride spends forever trying to figure out what to do with our kids during the summer so we can actually earn a living while school is out. She has it heat mapped, in an excel spreadsheet and has booked transportation by February. I realize right around mid-May that my children are soon to be out of school, that they can't self entertain all summer on Fortnite, goldfish and Uber eats. and that I've contributed exactly zero to planning the summer. Anyway, I thought I would share in case anyone else is in full freak out mode about the summer.

Summer Camp | White Rock Athletic Soccer Camps | United States

I wanted to give you an update on the (insert expletive here) Gus Thomasson/Ferguson Construction.

The last utility issue has been identified and should be remedied in the next two weeks--ATMOS found an abandoned line last week and because it will impede the paving, ATMOS will work beginning Monday to remove the line. From there, the final paving work will begin. Both drive lanes should be fully operational this summer and the final paving/aesthetic work should be done in the Fall.

I know this project has been a huge pain. It will be amazing when it's done but it hasn't been anyone's preference to reduce Gus Thomasson to a blacktop with crawfish ponds on either side. While there have been utility and contractor delays, the lack of paving has really been a function of trying to measure twice and cut once--new wastewater lines, new water lines, buried ATMOS lines, and the Casa View Shopping center owners moving utilities out of the street and into the shopping center to prep for a new 7-11 and Starbucks needed to occur before paving. It would be horrible to pave and then cut back into that new paving.

Millions have gone into this project between the public-private partnership, which is already proving awesome in the re-do of the historic quadrant of the shopping center (you can get a beer and shop at Ace!). Next summer, the Aquatics Park at Harry Stone should come on line as well. This area is getting the makeover it deserves even though I know most want to keelhaul anyone involved in this project. Thank you for your continued patience. I know it's frustrating when you see idle equipment so I wanted you to have the latest information that I have. Enjoy your weekend.

Today the City of Dallas will host its annual Dallas Police Memorial Ceremony in honor of next week's Police Memorial Day (May 15th). This annual event recognizes the sacrifices made by DPD officers who have fallen in the line of duty.

And as it does each year, White Rock Partnership will host a series of events from May 1st through July 31st for Honor our Heroes. More information can be found below:

HOH link 17 new photos · Album by David J. Pittman