Irving City Spectrum, February 2020

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IRVING

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CITY OF IRVING.ORG

PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE

City Council candidate packets for Irving residents are available for filing through Feb. 14. (Información esta disponible en español.)

IRVING, TX PERMIT NO. 883

Check out all the fun at the Irving Arts Center See the programs and activities offered by the Parks featuring a Black History Month exhibit, ballet, and Recreation Department, including valentine a capella, moving musical tributes and more. parties, AquaStars Swim Program and yoga classes. AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE CITY OF IRVING

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RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER

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CityofIrving.org

FEBRUARY 2020 / VOL 27 / NO 02

A N O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E C I T Y O F I R V I N G

2020 CENSUS: HOW IT WORKS

Visit CityofIrving.org/IrvingBlvd.

Project to Transform Irving Boulevard through Heritage Crossing District

Seeking input on Feb. 11 from residents, businesses and property owners The City of Irving has initiated a downtown revitalization project to redesign a 1-mile section of Irving Boulevard that runs through the city’s historic Heritage Crossing District. The preliminary design calls for a transformation that will help draw people and businesses to this quaint and beautiful part of town, with the goal of evolving Heritage Crossing into a destination location.

11:30 a.m. and 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 11 at the Jack D. Huffman Community Building, 801 W. Irving Blvd. The city invites residents, businesses and property owners to attend and provide comment on the design, and offer additional ideas for improvement. A second round of input sessions on the Irving Boulevard project will be scheduled during the intermediate design phase. Construction is slated to begin next year and conclude in 2023.

Current plans recommend reducing three vehicle lanes to two lanes along Irving Boulevard from Sowers Road to Strickland Plaza. The remaining right of way would be used for parallel parking, wider sidewalks, a bike lane and streetscape amenities. Parallel parking will be on both sides of the street.

While construction is underway, the city will make additional improvements to the water, sewer and stormwater infrastructure along the road. This renovation project is one of many investments the city is making in the area.

Prior to engineering, the city has scheduled two public input sessions. The sessions will be held from 9:30 to

For more information, call Imelda Speck at (972) 721-2398 or email ispeck@cityofirving.org. n

Information collected in the 2020 Census will determine the congressional representation, help communities and businesses plan for the future and determine the allocation of more than $675 billion in federal funds every year for the next decade. Every household living in the United States is required by law to respond to the 2020 Census. Individual answers cannot be shared with law enforcement, ICE, DEA, landlords, courts or anyone until 72 years have passed and they become valuable for genealogical and historical researchers. But how does it work? The 2020 Census will be the first decennial census in which people can respond online. Between March 12 and 20, every residence in Irving will be sent a letter inviting the occupant to respond online or by phone to the 2020 Census. These letters will be sent out in waves so that not everyone in the nation tries to log into the Census Bureau response site at once. Responses are encrypted to prevent hacking, and the household’s response is entered into the Census database. There will be 13 different languages to choose from in the online response page. Additional language options may be available by phone. From March 16 to 24, a reminder letter will be sent to each residence. A residence is likely to receive this reminder letter even if it has already responded to the first one. During March 26 to April 3, a reminder postcard will be sent to any residence that has not responded online. Between April 8 and 16, a second reminder letter will be sent, along with a paper questionnaire, to any residence that has not responded. This is how one normally will receive a paper survey, though there might be some “Be Counted” stations set up across the region where paper surveys in various languages might be available earlier than this. Final reminder postcards are sent between April 20 and 27. If one does not want to receive a face-to-face visit from a Census worker, one must respond to the Census before the end of April.

North Texas Teen Book Festival Returns March 6-7 Eager readers from across North Texas will descend on the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas, 500 W. Las Colinas Blvd., for the sixth annual North Texas Teen Book Festival (NTTBF). The Irving-born festival has become one of the city’s premier events. In 2019, more than 14,000 teenagers attended, and this year organizers expect an even larger crowd. This year’s lineup is packed with A-list authors, exciting newcomers to the writing world and YouTubers. Middle Grade Keynotes include Soman Chainani (“The School for Good and Evil” series) in conversation with “Dork Diaries” duo Nikki and Renée Russell. Nicola Yoon (“The Sun is Also a Star”) and Sarah Dessen (“The Rest of the Story”) return to take part in the Young Adult Keynote conversation. Also scheduled to attend are John Green (“Let It Snow” and “The Fault in Our Stars”), graphic novelist Raina Telgemeier (“Guts”), Ransom Riggs (Miss Peregrine series), Marie Lu (“The Kingdom of Back”) and Ruta Sepetys (“The Fountains of Silence”).

The NTTBF Film Fest returns to Alamo Drafthouse at Toyota Music Factory with several titles that have been turned into movies. Films include “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” and “Let it Snow,” a holiday romance based on stories by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle. Educator Day is March 6. This year, teachers and administrators can register to hear special keynotes delivered by Neal Shusterman (“The Toll”) and Pam Muñoz Ryan (“Mañanaland”). There also are a number of special guests and panels planned. NTTBF is supported by the Irving Public Library and the Friends of the Irving Public Library. Parking for the event is $10 per vehicle. The Dallas Area Rapid Transit Orange Line stops at the Las Colinas Convention Center Station. Follow @NTTBF on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates. For more information, visit NTTBF.com or call (972) 721-4612. n

Beginning in May, is the phase called “NonResponse Follow Up.” This is when Census workers visit every residence that has not responded to the 2020 Census. These workers will ask people to fill out the Census with them at the doorstep. If they believe that residence is occupied, they will return multiple times until they finally meet with a resident who will help fill out the 2020 Census. This follow-up phase lasts through the end of July 2020. Visit Census.gov for more information. n


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