McAllen Officers Deliver Free Ice Cream, Promote U.S. Census

McAllen Police Department's Community Affairs officers and the McAllen Census 2010 Complete Count Committee Chairman and Police Chief Victor Rodriguez caravaned through McAllen neighborhoods Wednesday, promoting the U.S. Census, with a cool twist.

Rodriguez and his team utilized an ice cream truck and gave out hundreds of free frozen treats.  A loud speaker on the truck played music and recorded messages from KKPS radio personalities Hugo De La Cruz and Bonnie Lopez, stressing the importance of an accurate count.

The caravan visited neighborhoods that historically have had lower participation with the U.S. Census.  Rodriguez also felt it was important to reach out to children, hoping they will encourage their parents to complete and return their Census forms.

Officers focused efforts around the Suarez Police Substation and planned to visit other areas in the next coming days.

for  more information please log into: www.mcallen.net

City of McAllen needs YOU!

Keep McAllen Beautiful needs plenty of volunteers for the Great American Cleanup and Don't Mess With Texas Trash Off, set on Saturday April 10, 2010, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Schools, civic groups and businesses are encouraged to gather their own teams of volunteers to help clean up McAllen streets, hike & bike trails, parks, schools and neighborhoods.  Everyone is treated to food, fun and prizes.  Plaques will be awarded to the organization with the most participation.

Participants will meet at McAllen Municipal Park, at 1921 North Bicentennial.  For more information call (956) 681-4066 or send e-mail to kmbmcallen@aol.com.

Teams should register by April 5.

PLEASE VISIT FOR VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION FOR:

http://www.mcallen.net/news/default/2010-03-04/volunteers_needed_for_great_american_cleanup_trash-off.aspx



Texas' Existing Home Sales Down, McAllen Slightly Up

TEXAS (Real Estate Center, Reuters, CNNMoney.com) – A total of 10,217 existing single-family homes were sold in Texas last month, a 5 percent drop from January 2009, according to MLS data compiled by the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University.

The median price was up 4 percent to $137,100 during the same period, and the state finished the month with a 6.5-month inventory of existing homes.

Here is how select Texas cities fared in January (data current as of Feb. 25, 2010):

	Sales	Change From 2009	Median Price	Change From 2009	Month's Inventory
Amarillo	107	down 29%	$131,200	up 3%	5.7
Austin	1,008	up 10%	$174,800	down 1%	5.7
Dallas	2,126	down 9%	$141,000	up 2%	5.8
El Paso	253	down 17%	$130,700	up 3%	7.5
Fort Worth	444	down 4%	$102,700	down 1%	6.4
Houston	2,788	down 10%	$142,900	up 9%	6.3
Laredo	55	down 4%	$108,800	down 1%	9
Lubbock	139	up 4%	$108,100	no change	5.3
McAllen	137	up 5%	$93,800	up 3%	13.5
San Antonio	865	up 1%	$139,000	down 5%	7.5
Texas	10,217	down 5%	$137,100	up 4%	6.5

Additional home sales data for these and other major Texas cities are available on theReal Estate Center's website

At the national level, the National Association of Realtors reported this week that single-family home sales fell 7.2 percent to an annual rate of 5.05 million in January from a pace of 5.44 million in December. That was 11.5 percent above the January 2009 pace.

Meanwhile, new home sales also fell at the national level. The seasonally adjusted annual rate of new home sales plummeted 11.2 percent to 309,000 last month, compared with a revised rate of 348,000 in December. According to Census Bureau data, that's a 6.1 percent decline from January 2009.

North Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion Begins

 
      

McAllen Public Utility hosted a groundbreaking for the North Wastewater Treatment Plant, Thursday.

The new construction will expand capacity of the plant and improve energy efficiency by over 40%.  The new capacity is anticipated to serve growth in northern McAllen for the next 25 years. 

"All public utilities that provide wastewater treatment are required by Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to begin design of an expansion to an existing plant when that plant reaches 75% of its rated capacity.  The north WWTP reached that capacity several years ago and we began designing the expansion in 2005," said McAllen Public Utilities General Manager Roel "Roy" Rodriguez. 

The project is being funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in the form of a 0% loan administered by the Texas Water Development Board.

"The fact that we were planning this project years before a federal stimulus package was even contemplated makes us very happy and proud that we made the project work to receive zero percent funding," added Rodriguez.  "The zero percent funding by itself will save our ratepayers over 30 million dollars through the life of the financing." 

 Current Capacity:   8 MGD (million gallons per day)
 New Capacity:   15 MGD
 Project Cost:   $37.5 million
 Engineer:   Dannenbaum Engineering
 Contractor:   CSA Construction, Inc.
 Estimated Completion Date:   August, 2012 (30 months)

Local Celebrities, Media Personalities Promote U.S. Census

The U.S. Census 2010 Complete Count Committee, in McAllen, has partnered with a number of local celebrities and media personalities to promote the upcoming Census count.

Census Day is April 1, 2010 and it's important for McAllen and the Rio Grande Valley to participate.  The Census Data helps determine how $400 billion dollars in federal funds are distributed annually.  This money can be used for improving our roads, hospitals and schools.  The questionnaire has only 10 questions, will take 10 minutes to complete and it affects the next 10 years of our lives.

The McAllen Cable Network (MCN) recently caught up with local recording artist Bobby Pulido, who encrouaged area residents to participate.  View the video by clicking below (or watch the Spanish Version). Check back often to see who the next featured celebrity will be.

TO WATCH THE VIDEO... GO TO THE FOLLOWING LINK:

http://www.mcallen.net/video/news/bobby_pulido_for_us_census.aspx