By Rollingwood Mayor Dale Dingley

I will begin this column with my wish that the New Year will bring peace, prosperity and happiness to all. Being an incurable optimist, I see signs suggesting an economic recovery and pray that 2010 is a year we all can recover from the downturns of 2009.

The New Year finds the Pickwick Lane water line project finished and the Edgegrove water line project ahead of schedule. With only the installation of pressure reducing valves remaining, this phase of Rollingwood’s water system upgrades should finish ahead of the 150-day deadline. We appreciate the patience of residents affected by the construction activity.

The city is in the final stages of completing paperwork related to a non-competitive grant application to obtain funds for energy conservation. The Rollingwood Utility Commission has selected five projects for inclusion. In order of priority they are: 1) Replace the HVAC (air conditioning) system at City Hall with a high efficiency system; 2) Replace door and window glass with energy efficient glass; 3) Replace the patio cover, which serves as an awning to block direct sunlight onto the massive back windows of City Hall; 4) Replace T–12 fluorescent lamps and magnetic ballasts with high efficiency T–8 fluorescent lamps and ballasts throughout City Hall; 5) Replace outdoor spotlights with motion sensors, with the exception of the police department entry and the U.S. and Texas flags. These changes could have a significant impact on the electricity bill for City Hall. During summer months, it is not unusual to see bills in the $400 to $500 per month range.

The City Council is pursuing an interlocal agreement with Travis County for paving our streets. If we are successful, Travis County will include Rollingwood’s streets in its bidding process for countywide paving projects. This would allow for taking advantage of lower costs due to the economy of scale (the volume of work ordinarily bid out by Travis County). Under the agreement, Rollingwood would pay Travis County “cost plus 10 percent” for work done. By all accounts, this would be significantly less expensive than for Rollingwood to go it alone in a bidding process.

A tremendous “thank you” goes to the Rollingwood Women’s Club for their exceptionally generous annual gift to the city for 2009. This year’s gift is in the amount of $10,000 and is earmarked as $5,000 for the walking trail on which construction soon will begin, and $5,000 for a shade structure over the toddler’s playscape in our lower-level park near the pavilion. This brings to $15,000 the amount the club has donated over time toward the shade structure.

The City Park Commission is sponsoring two volunteer workdays (Jan. 30 and Feb. 20) for the before-mentioned walking trail. A flier advertising these was included in the recent water bill, and reminder signs will soon appear throughout the city. An Eagle Scout project, proposed by Sam Domino and approved by the City Council, will aid in the development of the trail. Sam’s plan includes a very nice xeriscape garden.