Prairie Pulse Newsletter - January 2019

P R AI RIE P U L S E

What's Inside Prairie Paws Expansion

The new expansion allows Animal Services to help more animals.

Get to Know Shelby Kirkland Mechanic, welder and artist extrodinare.

City Hall Construction

New Connection Building is being constructed.

City Demographics

Do you know our employee demographics?

WOW Fun Facts Quiz: Do You Know GP? Message from Manager Employee Banquet Save the date for Jan. 14!

Upcoming Events

January 2019

Places to Get Fit During Lunch The New Year always begins a new season of fitness inspiration. However, finding time during our busy schedules isn’t always easy. Luckily for GP employees, there are several places to squeeze in a workout on your lunch break.

of fitness equipment. Employees get a discounted rate, too!

Visit jointheepic.com for more info. or call 972-339-3742.

Trails Find a walking trail close to you and get some cardio in. The fresh outdoors The CVE is also a nice break for those in an ofLocated across from City Hall, the CVE fice and helps alleviate stress. offers a free workout facility for em- Visit grandfungp.com to find a trail. ployees. It comes equipt with cardio PeerFit Studios equipment and free-weights.

If you’re a full-time employee, you can Visit Raving Fans for more info. explore classes at five different studios The Epic in Grand Prairie using PeerFit. It’s free The Epic is in the middle of the city, to use! From yoga and boxing, to gym making it a perfect spot for a 30-40 day passes, PeerFit offers a variety of minute workout during lunch! Enjoy a workouts. lap pool, a walk around it’s two tracks, a pick-up game of basketball, and tons Visit Raving Fans for more info.

City of Grand Prairie Employee Newsletter

Financial Fitness Only

59%

of Americans can afford a $400 emergency with cash

1 in 3

have less than $5,000 saved for retirement Approximately

Prairie Paws Completes Expansion After over a year of remolding and exment for the animals with a new pansion construction began, Grand air conditioning system that proPrairie Animal Services and Adoption vides better air filtering Center is opening its doors to a big- • A new Spay/Neuter Clinic to inger facility. crease the number of surgeries each week, including spay/neuThe shelter began expansion in ter, heartworm detection, dental March 2017 to help accommodate health and nail trimming the influx of homeless animals in Grand Prairie and remodel areas to • Larger outdoor space for dogs that include turf and the opportuprovide a better environment for the nity to play in groups animals.

With the new expansion, Prairie Paws has: • Tripled the amount of cat capacity • Doubled the amount of dog capacity • Provided a healthier environ-

The expansion also provides a better experience for potential adopters. New meet-and-greet areas and a large outdoor ‘Get-to-Know-You’ courtyard will help guests have a better opportunity to interact with pets.

How Much do You Know About GP?

of the population is in debt.

Check out Mint.com or download the app for help with budgeting!

1 2

What year did we buy our first city computer?

A. 1966 B. 1972 C. 1979

City of Grand Prairie Employee Newsletter

3 4

GP was originally named: A. Central Prairie B. Loyd C. Dechman Who was the first Mayor?

A. Samuel B. Pryor B. M.J. Brinson C. Stephen P. Lively

Ans: 1-A, 2-B, 3-C, 4-C

80%

Our population is: A. 190,000 B. 215,000 C. 160,000

GP’s Got Talent: Shelby Kirkland Shelby Kirkland does more with car parts than just fix them as a mechanic for the city; he welds them into beautiful pieces of art.

class in high school, and learned to fabricate from Bobby Spurgin while working for the water department. During this time, Kirkland Kirkland, named after the legend- discovered a love for melting metal ary Shelby Cobra, is inspired by his together with electricity. father, who was always working on Kirkland reuses metal objects, encars, to continue the tradition of gine parts, old tools, farm equiploving everything mechanical. ment and other items to create his He began welding in a metal shop pieces.

“Most of the time, I see a piece of metal or trash and can envision that piece being a cool center section of a lamp, or a cool conversation piece and build around that,” Kirkland said. “Everything I make is made from recycled metal parts that I think are neat.”

Some of his recent pieces were featured in the Plastic Free PlanIt Gala in November, and were on display at Uptown Theater, including a “Light in Motion” lamp made out of motorcycle license plates, Miller wire, Kohler crank shaft v-twin, SCK tools, 350 fly wheels, In addition, Kirkland incorporates and electrical conduit. movement into all of his art pieces. Kirkland also makes custom piec“I love to make things that serve a es. function and will actually be used,” Kirkland said. “It intrigues people and brings them the same enjoyment as I have creating them.”

You can see and purchase his pieces by following him on Instagram @sckdesigns89 or by emailing him at sckdesign89@gmail.com

New Connector Building for City Hall, Development Center The first phase of the construction at city hall is underway. A new connector building will connect the existing City Hall and the Development Center under one roof, and will also allow the Human Resources, Facilities and Finance departments move into City Hall. Addi-

tional phases will include a “plaza” that will contain a Grand Lawn and Grand Paseo. These areas will allow for green spaces that may be utilized for events and daily outdoor activities so employees, visitors, and the community can enjoy a park-like setting on Main Street.

What are the City Employee Demographics?

2% 11% 60%

27%

White/Caucasian Hispanic Black/African American Asian/Pacific Islander

454 Live in GP 30% Female 70% Male

857 Live Outside GP

City of Grand Prairie Employee Newsletter

542 471 238 59 1

Millennials Gen X Baby Boomers Gen Z Matures

Message from the Manager Events 2019 will continue to be a year of growth and new development for the city. By now you have probably heard the noise and seen the dirt flying as Phase 1 of the City Hall expansion is underway. A new building between City Hall and the Development Center is on schedule to be complete in 2019. In addition, downtown we can look forward to the new Firehouse Gastro Park opening in spring 2019.

As development continues to soar on SH 161, the city has approved a memorandum of understanding for a joint hotel project with a small conference center that will be located in EpicCentral. A new recreation-oriented restaurant is also on track to start in EpicCentral.

While we’re on the topic of EpicCentral, if you haven’t had a chance to see The Epic, 2960 Epic Place, stop by for a visit and try the EpicEats Café for breakfast or lunch. Employee memberships to The Epic are available. Check the Raving Fans site for pricing.

Happy New Year and thank you for Creating Raving Fans every day.

Tom Hart, City Manager

Blood Drive

Tuesday, Jan. 8 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Public Safety Building 1525 Arkansas Ln. Register: bit.ly/GPBloodDrive

Try It Tuesdays

Intro to Bootcamp Main Library, 901 Conover Dr. Tuesdays in Jan. 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Employee Awards Banquet

Monday, Jan. 14 5:30 p.m. Doors Open Ruthe Jackson Center 3113 S. Carrier Pkwy

MLK Parade

Monday, Jan. 21 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

City Hall Liberty Bell Free event honoring Dr. Martin Luther King’s Legacy.

Cirque du Soleil Amaluna Jan. 23 - Feb. 17 Lone Star Park 1000 Lone Star Pkwy Tickets: cirquedusoleil.com

Use code PARTNER15 for 15% discount on weekday shows!

ATS Lunar New Year

Fri, Jan. 25 - Sun, Jan. 27 Fri, Feb. 1 - Sun, Feb. 3 2625 W. Pioneer Pkwy More events: gptx.org/calendar City of Grand Prairie Employee Newsletter