From Our Mayor
Jay F. Feibelman
I continue to get calls and inquiries regarding the old city hall and the reason for the decision to tear it down. The decision was not made lightly, as originally we had hoped to refurbish and lease it out. After much staffing, it was found that items such as the air handlers (including ductwork) were in need of replacement, electrical problems from a lightning strike, foundation and roofing repair were needed, and lo and behold, it was discovered that asbestos was in some of the building’s materials. Add all that to bringing the structure up to the American Disability Act (ADA) standards and the cost for renovation exceeded $100,000. Thus, the house will be demolished and the three other buildings in the complex will remain for the foreseeable future.
The contract has been awarded to build a new pavilion in the city park adjacent to the BBQ pit. This will allow increased flexibility and is a welcome addition.. Future plans call for the upgrade of the pit and the restrooms.
Please conserve water!
Mockingbird eggs in Chollo Cactus
Belinne Studios
Welcome to Garden Ridge
New Residents:
Those listed and families:
Karen Adams
Earl McCallum
Paul & Marguerite Guillory
David Lyle
John & Vickie Jackson
David McCormick
Veronica & Arthur Perez
Victor & Rosalinda Rodriguez
Eric & Lisa Strandberg
Jesus & Linda Valdez Jr.
Note: Newcomers are identified by water service records. Consequently, not all names in the household will appear. Those not appearing are also welcomed! The City of Garden Ridge requires that all dogs and cats be registered. Call 651-6831 for information.
PET REGISTRATION
If you did not register your pets in January, please do so as soon as possible! This is required by city ordinance, costs $5.00 and requires proof of a rabies vaccination every 3 years. For Information: 651-6831.
Complete the form online. 
QUICK NOTES
NEW SCAM !?!
Always check to insure that the credit card you provide for any payment is the card you receive back!
Comal Elementary School
Spring Fling - Go for Gold!
Saturday, April 4th
2:00 to 6:00 PM
At the Playground
Silent Auction, Raffle, Cake Walk, Games, Prizes -
Food and Fun, Inflatables, and Special Guests.
Come have a WONDERFUL TIME while supporting the school.
Prime Timers of
Garden Ridge
Meet First Tues 10:30am
Prime Timers is a free senior activity open to all in the Garden Ridge area. Sponsored by the Garden Ridge Lions Club, Prime Timers meets the first Tuesday of each month at 10:30 am in area churches for games, pot luck and an informative program. The meeting in March will be at Bracken United Methodist Church.
Anyone desiring more information or a ride can call Gladys Mueller at 651-6934 or Darlene Langston at 651-6067. First time attendees are not expected to bring a dish for pot luck. Please come.
Rio Cibolo Ranch Event
April 2nd 10am to 2pm
The Garden Ridge Women’s Club invites you to experience “a little bit of Texas” at Rio Cibolo Ranch in Zuehl, Texas on Thursday, April 2 from 10 am to 2 pm. Enjoy a cooking lecture and demo followed by lunch. Take time before and after to tour the gardens and nature trails; take a wagon or river barge ride; or feed the resident longhorns. Consider carpooling for the 25 minute drive. Cost is $35 for members or $40 for non-members.
Checks payable to GRWC should be sent to Janet
Fleckenstein,
9412 Gardenia Bend Dr.,
Garden Ridge, TX 78266
to arrive no later than Thursday March 26.
Questions? Contact Janet at 651-0026
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The Forest Waters Club
Friday March 6th at 6:30pm
Cordially invites you to a special dinner featuring
Guest Lecturer — Judy Lewis
Screen Actress and Daughter of
Loretta Young and Clark Gable
and Author of Uncommon Knowledge
Friday, March 6, 2009
Cost $30 per person or $50 per couple
6:30 pm for cocktails with dinner following
Musical Selections by Three Hits and a Miss.
Invitation open to all Garden Ridge residents. RSVP with check to FWC by March 3. Gentlemen in jackets please. Reservations limited. Cash bar available.
Questions: Call Carolyn Sanders 651-9542.
Make a Difference in a Young Person’s Life
Hosting an exchange student is a great opportunity to learn about the world without leaving home.
Volunteer families are needed to host international exchange students. SHARE! Your heart and home with a boy or girl from over 30 countries like Germany, France, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Belgium, Serbia, Montenegro, Turkey, Vietnam, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Hong Kong, Slovakia, Taiwan and many former Soviet countries.
The SHARE! High School Exchange Program matches host families with international teenagers who attend local high schools for a semester or an academic year. All students are between the ages of 15 and 18 years old and carefully screened as well as proficient in English. Students arrive with medical insurance and pocket money to cover personal expenses Families are able to review student application and choose the boy or girl that best matches your family.
For more information, please call:
Tina DeSorbo at 210-651-0517 or the
SHARE! Southwest Regional Office at
1-800-941-3738
Library Footnotes
by Suzanne McCandless
Life surprises us. Try as we will to make commitments, life sometimes gets in the way. Your library volunteers and your lone paid library helper are trying very hard to keep the library open six days a week from 10 am until 6 pm plus two evenings per week. Patrons have indicated they want it open by using it every hour that it is open.
But people get sick, families need care. What we need is a larger volunteer base. If you have 2 hours a week, or 2 hours a month, that time would go a long way to help keep our doors open 52 hours a week. Male, female, old or young, all are welcome. The work is easy and fun. (Linda Crosland does the heavy lifting.) Teenagers often improve their college resume/applications by showing volunteer hours. Newcomers meet new friends. Oldtimers learn new skills. Please call the library at 651-6570 or Linda Crosland at 830-632-5622 to volunteer.
If we do not get some extra volunteers, we will be forced to close on Friday and Saturday afternoons at the very least by the end of March.
Despite my gloomy picture, we continue to receive great donations from this wonderful community. These enable us to ever expand our collection. This month, we are featuring some new books, DVDs and audio tapes.
Ladies of Liberty by Cokie Roberts in the collective biography section introduces us to women of America who formed our country during the years of the early 19th Century. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows tells the fictional story of how the lives of Guernsey islanders were transformed by the German occupation during World War II. It is on our shelves and has become Linda Crosland’s new favorite book.
In the children’s department, we have added among other volumes, The Tales of Beedle the Bard by the popular J. R. Rowling.
New DVDs include Friendly Persuasion, To Kill a Mockingbird, Lean on Me and The Keeper, the Legend of Omar Khayyam.
Finally, a course in Classical Mythology on audio tapes by the Teaching Company can enhance your drive to work or your next trip.
Library Hours are:
Monday - Thursday 10 am to 6 pm
Fridays and Saturdays 10 am to 5 pm
Garden Ridge Women’s Club
Annual Garage Sale
The GRWC citywide Garage Sale is Saturday, March 21, 2009 from 8 am to noon at the Garden Ridge Community Center. It’s not too early to start planning now. Rent a table to sell your under-loved items or plan to shop for someone else’s amazing treasures, or both!
Member reservations for tables are being accepted now. Member Cost: (Inside table $25; outside table $30)
Non-member reservations will be accepted beginning Saturday February 7th.
Non-member Cost: (Inside table $35; outside table $40)
THERE IS NO ADMISSION FEE
For information or questions, call
Catherine O’Neal (683-8864) or
Diana Scott (651-3320).
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Important Numbers
City Hall 210-651-6632
Lost Pet 210-651-6831
Police Department 210-651-6441
Filing for City Election
February 9 - March 9th
Filing for City Election for May 14, 2009
The General Election for the City of Garden Ridge will be held on May 14, 2009. City Council, Places 2, 3 and 6 (Mayor) will be up for election for 2 year terms. Individuals interested in filing for a place on the ballot can do so beginning February 9 with the last date to file is March 9. The last date to file for a write-in is March 16. Do this at City Hall during regular business hours 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Call 651-6632 for more information.
Past Significant Events
in March
2 Mar 1836 -
Texas declares independence from Mexico
3 Mar 1931 - Star Spangled Banner made US national anthem
6 Mar 1836 - Fall of the Alamo
Bracken VFD Firefighters’ Annual Festival
Saturday 2 May
Spring is only weeks away and so is the annual Bracken VFD Firefighters’ Festival, the fire department’s primary fundraiser. Changes for this year’s festival include
1) a new dinner entre’, Bracken VFD’s famous Kartoffel Puffers (German Potato Pancakes) and
2) a new venue, the Garden Ridge Community Center. The date remains the first Saturday in May. The Board of Directors decided to combine the spring and fall fundraisers, so there will not be a separate Kartoffel Puffer Fest in 2009. The Firefighter’s Festival will be your only chance to get great potato pancakes this year! A newsletter will be mailed to all addresses in Bracken VFD’s service area with details on the menu, attractions, and events. Mark your calendar to come enjoy great food and company while supporting your local fire department.
Quarry Commission Happenings
On February 9, the Quarry Commission held its monthly meeting.
The Commission reviewed and analyzed the blasting data from December 2008 and January 2009. Due to low demand for rock products in December and January, the Quarry continues to blast at a low rate, 5 to 6 times per month. Most of December’s and January’s blasting was done on the Blank property, which is on the northwest side of the quarry. The December 17 blast was discussed at length as the blast effects were significantly stronger than normal. The strength of the blast was attributed to two factors: undetected voids in the rock formation where the blast occurred and the Quarry's use of three rows of explosive, vice the standard two rows. As a result of the stronger effects of the blast, the Quarry agreed to limit future blasts to two rows of explosive.
More details about the Quarry Commission meetings are available at the City Municipal Building or on the Quarry Commission home page. The Commission welcomes citizen comments.
If you wish to complain about a blast or have comments for the Quarry Commission, contact City Hall at 651-6632 or visit the city’s home page, where you will find the Citizen’s Blast Report. Citizens who are interested in having quarry blasts monitored at their residence should contact a member of the Quarry Commission. Citizens are invited to attend the next Quarry Commission meeting on March 9 at 7 pm.
Curves in Bracken Village
12th Annual Food Drive
Curves 12th Annual Food Drive needs your help to reach a goal of 1200 pounds. This is why we are offering $0 to join for any lady wanting to donate a bag of non-perishable groceries or monetarily donate to Daily Bread Ministries! Also all volunteers are welcome to be a part of our annual “Curves Serves” Saturday at Daily Bread Ministries in April. We’re accepting all donations, and membership is not required!
Call us at 210-651-9500.
Daily Bread Ministries in San Antonio
Coming Events
Go to the Calendar.
Significant City Council
Go to Council Actions.
Grapevine Deadline
Grapevine Deadline. Submissions for the April GRAPEVINE need to be turned in by March 16th..
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