Spring is quickly approaching and our Parks and Recreation Department is planning events for all ages. During spring break, we offer special classes for our community’s youth. Check out hvparks.com to sign up for classes.
The second annual Teen Bonfire Bash will take place on March 13 at Doubletree Ranch Park. Your teen will enjoy a bonfire, hay rides, games, grass bash, and more. This free event is for teens ages 13 to 18.
The new Easter Egg Hound Up for our four-legged friends is on March 21 at Unity Park and will include a doggy egg hunt, doggy costume contest, pictures with the Easter Bunny, and a skills course. This event is also free and will take place from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Then, on March 28, the annual Easter Egg Hunt will take place at the Unity Park ballfields. Attendees will experience activities like the egg hunt, pictures with the Easter Bunny, face painting, children’s activities, HVFD fire engine, bounce houses, and free ice cream treats. Remember, the hunt begins promptly at 10 a.m., so you will want to arrive early.
The City is currently accepting applications from artists interested in participating in the Highland Village Art Festival. This event takes place at The Shops at Highland Village on Saturday, May 2 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The deadline to apply is April 6.
At the end of February, I had the opportunity to share Highland Village’s State of the City video at a joint Highland Village Business Association, Lewisville Area Chamber of Commerce, and Flower Mound Chamber of Commerce luncheon. It is always good when we come together to highlight the great things happening in our communities at the State of the Cities luncheon. The mayors from each city provide a look back at accomplishments from the past year and share a glimpse of what is ahead.
This year, our State of the City video highlights a sentiment we often hear from our residents: living in Highland Village feels like being on vacation year-round. With our beautiful lakeside setting and relaxed, small-town atmosphere, it is easy to see why our residents love calling Highland Village home, and our staff shares that same pride in serving this community every single day. I want to share the highlights and encourage you to watch the full video on our website or social media channels.
In the parks and recreation department, we moved our signature event, Celebrate Highland Village, to Doubletree Ranch Park with the biggest attendance yet. The splash pad has added new elevated water features, and our Teen Bonfire Bash will take place at this park. Parks staff worked to help our youth travel safely to our many fishing spots by hosting a fishing selfie contest and providing fishing backpacks for the winners. Plus, Highland Village is the first city to have a Parks and Wildlife endorsed Paddle Trail on Lewisville Lake.
In the public works department, we have Phase 3 of the asphalt overlay set to begin later this spring, water and sewer lines are being replaced throughout the city, and the Lake Vista water well will be replaced to increase storage capacity. Later this year and into early 2027, a portion of Highland Shores Blvd. and Highland Village Rd. will be reconstructed.
In public safety, police will be launching a drone program to keep our community safe at big events and popular locations, our emotional support dog, Ollie, is in our schools and available during times of crisis, and the Public Safety Pop-In events are providing welcoming opportunities to engage with our residents.
In fire, two outdoor warning sirens will be replaced, new radios were purchased allowing long-range and reliable communication, and the first Fire Truck Pull benefitting Special Olympics of Texas was a huge hit.
Both departments are reaffirming their Best Practices recognition ensuring our residents the departments are conforming to the current state of the art in public safety.
In finance, our AAA bond rating, the highest possible for municipalities, was reaffirmed during the process of issuing our $7.4 million in certificates of obligation for 50% funding of the reconstruction of Highland Shores Blvd. and Highland Village Rd. You can watch the full video at youtube.com/highlandvillagetx.
It’s also time for spring cleaning. Our paper shredding event for Highland Village residents is on April 18 at Pilot Knoll Park from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. You can dispose of bulk waste, up to three cubic yards, on your regular trash collection day, just make sure your items are three feet from your trash and recycle carts. Republic Services also offers a Household Hazardous Waste collection for items like electronics, pesticides, solvents, and gasoline or oils. Just call (469) 451-3713 to schedule a pickup. Batteries can be dropped off at the Municipal Complex in the battery collection bins.
I’m looking forward to enjoying the spring weather and hope to see you out there!
