By Rollingwood Mayor Dale Dingley

Contributing Writer

The May 2010 Municipal elections are just around the corner. The filing period for elective office is under way and runs through March 8.

This year, the mayor’s seat and those of two aldermen will be up for election. Those interested in running for office may obtain filing packets at the Rollingwood City Hall. In addition to Municipal elections in May, don’t forget that state Democratic and Republican primary elections will be held on March 2, 2010. Rollingwood City Hall will be a polling place for both elections.

The current water system upgrades are nearing completion. The Pickwick Lane water line has been completed for some time, and the Edgegrove water line should be completed very soon. All that will then remain is the installation of a pressure reducing valve at the intersection of Rollingwood Drive and Riley road. We are told that this final project will require approximately one week to complete.

Weather permitting, all current construction could be finished by the end of February, which is approximately one month ahead of schedule. Total costs for all four phases of the current project should come in well under budget.

Heartfelt thanks go to the many volunteers who showed up on Jan. 30 to begin work on the walking trail around the city’s upper level park. Our city staff had performed a significant amount of preparatory work, allowing the many wheelbarrow and shovel bearing volunteers to spread crushed granite onto the trail. When finished, this will be a tremendous addition to an already terrific park! Kudos to the City Park Commission for a well thought out plan. For those who may have missed the opportunity to contribute, another volunteer workday is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 20. Bring your own shovel.

At its last meeting, the Rollingwood City Council appointed Robyn Ryan to the position of acting city secretary. After a short probationary period, it is anticipated the “acting” portion of the title will be removed. For those who haven’t yet met Robyn, she has been the city’s communications officer for the past year. She brings to the city exceptional organizational as well as communications skills. For the past year, she has been busy renovating a filing system that was in very bad shape. Robyn, in addition to being an avid reader, is a brand new grandmother, so expect to see pictures if you stop by to meet her.

In answer to a few questions, our wholesale water contract with the city of Austin requires us to adhere to the same restrictions as Austin. Therefore, the city remains under mandatory Stage 1 water restrictions.

Under Stage 1 restrictions, outdoors watering may occur on the following schedule: Commercial and multifamily water on Tuesdays and Fridays; single-family homes have two watering days a week. odd numbered addresses may water on Wednesdays and Saturdays; even numbered addresses may water on Thursdays and Sundays. No outdoor irrigation is allowed between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Hand watering is allowed anytime.