From Our Mayor
Jay F. Feibelman
The Open House commemorating the new city offices, police station, public works, and library was held on February 9th with over 250 people touring and viewing their new complex. Joining our citizens was Congressman Lamar Smith and State Representative Nathan Macias who took the time from their busy schedules to recognize the efforts of our growing community. Thanks to all who did attend, and for those who could not, the door is always open! We can now look with pride at a lovely complex located in a central area of the city. We have truly entered the 21st Century. Thanks to all for helping make it happen!

Welcome to Garden Ridge
New Residents:

Luke & Patricia Green
Robert Hamilton & Sharon Hunter
Jose & Kady Hinojosa
James Morgan
Robert & Linda Shilliday, Jr.

Note: Newcomers are identified by water service records. Consequently, not all names in the household will appear. Those not appearing are also welcomed!

House Fire
Karl and Barbara Scholze
Our deepest sympathy to Garden Ridge residents Karl and Barbara Scholze who sustained massive damage to their home from fire on February 15th. Incidents such as these, especially so close to home, bring to mind how fragile life can be and should serve as a wake up call to all in the city. If you own an older home not equipped with smoke alarms, you are encouraged to install at least one in the sleeping areas. They are inexpensive and can be purchased at several locations within the area.

Contact the Bracken Volunteer Fire Department at 651-5762 for more information.

STROKE - What to do
Remember the First Three Letters...STR.
S - Ask the individual to SMILE.
T - Ask the person to TALK; to speak a simple sentence coherently, for example: It is sunny out today.
R - Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

*NOTE: Another sign of stroke is this: ask the person to stick out their tongue. If the tongue is ‘crooked’, if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke. If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 911 immediately !! And describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

Annual Food Drive
Daily Bread Ministries
Donations are requested for non-perishable food items for the Daily Bread Ministries. Take a bag of non-perishable food to Curves - Garden Ridge (in Bracken Village) from March 1 through March 10 to support this worthy cause. If you are interested, a bag of food will serve as a waiver for the $149 annual service fee for enrollment in Curves. Call 210-651-9500 for more information.

QUICK NOTES

NEVER give a credit card number or account number out unless you have initiated the action. Scams are rampant. If it sound too good to be true, it probably IS NOT TRUE! Report suspicious activity to police at
210- 651-6441.

Oak Trees
When pruning oak trees, paint wounds within 6 hours to prevent oak wilt.

Before cutting down any oak trees within the city, contact City Hall for rules regarding such activity.

Filings for City Election
February 12 - March 12, 2007
The General Election for the City of Garden Ridge will be held on May 12, 2007. City Council, Places 2, 3 and 6 (Mayor) will be up for election for a 2 year term. Individuals interested in filing for a place on the baDecember 28, 2007uary 12 through March 12, 2007 at City Hall during regular business hours 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. March 19th is the last day to file for a write-in
candidacy.

Library Footnotes
By Nancy Feibelman
Thanks to all our volunteers who have made our library one of the best in the area. Moving was an interesting experience! Jay had arranged for a mover to move the shelves and all the boxes of books. The Garden Ridge volunteers were Jay, Mark Goll, Corey Hedrick, Georgia Zugay, Mary Lou Flink, Julie Dirlam, John Bell, Bill McCandless, and Bill Young plus our library volunteers. Thank You

We are currently seeking volunteers to extend our afternoon hours. Call Nancy Feibelman at 651-6094 to volunteer.

Pet Registration
If you haven’t registered your dog or cat, please do so. This is required by city ordinance, costs $5.00 and requires proof of a rabies vaccination. Rabies requirements are now every 3 years. Need info? Call 651-6831.
To complete the form online go to:
Pet Registration Form.

Managing Stress

How would you define stress?
What can you do about stress?
How can you learn to manage stress?
If you would like answers to these questions and more, plan to attend a workshop by Suzanne Broussard on;

Managing Stress
Bracken United Methodist Church
Thursday, March 15th 7 - 9 pm

If you would like to attend, please call the office at 830-606-6717 to register. Space is limited. Child care will be provided. Bracken United Methodist Church is located at 20377 FM 2252.

Quarry Information
Weather may affect the intensity of quarry blasts. On cloudy days, the intensity of a blast may be more noticeable. This can result when air blasts are reflected off the clouds and directed downward rather than radiating in all directions. The downward reflection can increase noise and overpressure readings.
For more information see Quarry Blasts and Quarry FAQ.
For Quarry Commission meeting schedule go to the Calendar. The next meeting is March 12th.

Daylight Savings Time
Starts March 11, 2007

Corn Can Harm Wildlife
Feed corn can carry toxic dangers for wildlife.
Don’t allow corn to get wet.
Don’t let it get too hot or cold because that promotes the growth of mildew, which can create deadly toxins. Don’t buy untreated corn. Ask your retailer if it has been checked or treated. If you must feed, give them food of nutritional value.

Police Academy Alumni
Fundraiser Coming Soon
The Garden Ridge Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association— Dedicated to enhancing relations between our community and the Garden Ridge Police Department —will meet March 13, 2007 at 7:00 pm in the Bluebonnet Room of the Community Center. Discussion on coming events and meeting place and time will be addressed.

2nd Annual
Citywide Garage Sale
March 17th from 8am to Noon
Come one, come all, to the annual Garden Ridge City-wide Garage Sale March 17th from 8 am till Noon!

We want to have as much help from residents as we can get. So if you’d like to be involved, we’ll be setting up tables at 9 am on Friday, March 16th. If you can help, we’d appreciate it. Also, anyone interested in assisting in kitchen sales of food and drinks is asked to contact Shirley Walluk at 651-0484. Call Julie Betz 651-3406 to assist with clean-up.
We hope to see you at this very popular event!

Coming Events
Go to the Calendar.

Significant City Council
Actions in February

Significant Dates from Past
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

Grapevine Deadline
The deadline for articles/notices for the GRAPEVINE is the 18th of the previous month. Please have all submissions for the April Grapevine in by March 18th.

Spring Fling
Comal Elementary’s Annual

April 14th
2:00 to 6:00 PM
At the Playground

Silent Auction, Raffle, Cake Walk, Games and Prizes
Food and Fun, Inflatable Slides & Jumpers, and Special Guests.

Come have a wonderful time while supporting the school. For Information call: 210-599-6389

FRAUD TIPS
If your wallet, purse or credit cards are stolen:
File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, checks etc., were stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and this is the first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one).
Numbers you need to contact:
1. EQUIFAX: 1-800-525-6285
2. EXPERIAN : 1-888-397-3742 (Formerly TRW)
3. TRANS UNION: 1-800-680-7289
4. Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271

Natural Gas Billing
Dear Center Point Energy Customer:
A billing issue was recently discovered which may have caused your account to be under billed for several months. Center Point Energy apologizes for the mistake and any inconvenience it may cause.
Corrections are being made to those accounts which were affected. If you account was affected, you bill may appear larger than normal due to under billing from previous months. If this large amount proves a hardship, please contact us by phone or e-mail to discuss payment arrangements.
Phone: 1-800-406-2380
E-mail: www.centerpointenergy.com
Click on “Contact Us”
Again, we apologize if your account was affected by this billing error. We sincerely appreciate your business and thank you for your patience.
Sincerely, Center Point Energy