Monday, January 16 is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and a City holiday.  All City facilities will be closed and all non-emergency City operations will be suspended.  Anyone needing to report a utility emergency or speak to a Hudson Oaks police officer on Monday should call 682-229-2400 and follow the phone system prompts.  All City of Hudson Oaks facilities and services will return to normal hours of operation on Tuesday, January 17.

Since September, the City of Hudson Oaks has been working with Freese-Nichols, Inc. to develop the community's first Comprehensive Plan.  The planning efforts have been led by a City Council-appointed Comprehensive Plannning Advisory Committee, which now has its proposed plan ready for public review and comment. 

On Tuesday, January 17, the City will host a community meeting at City Hall.  The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. and will be an opportunity for the public to hear about the proposed Comprehensive Plan and offer comments on it, prior to the City's formal action on the plan.  Between now and then, community members are encouraged to review the proposed plan, which is available at www.hudsonoaks.com/proposed-comprehensive-plan. 

Feedback provided at the January 17 meeting will be forwarded to the City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission.  These two boards will then hold a joint meeting on Thursday, February 23, at which time formal action will be taken on the proposed Comprensive Plan.

All City of Hudson Oaks facilities will be closed, and all its non-emergency operations will be suspended on each of the following holidays during the fall/winter season.

• Thanksgiving - November 24 and 25 (Thanksgiving Day is a trash and recycling collection holiday.  Republic Services will do a "double collection" on the next regular collection day.
• Christmas - December 23 and 26
• New Year's - January 2, 2012

Anyone in need of assistance regarding a utility emergency on any of these holidays should call 682-229-2400 and follow the prompts to reach the on-call water technician. 

Anyone in need of non-emergency assistance from the Hudson Oaks Police Department on any City holiday should call 682-229-2400 and follow the prompts to reach the police supervisor on duty.  Any public safety emergency should be reported by calling 9-1-1.

The City of Hudson Oaks City Council and staff wish everyone a happy holiday season and look forward to continuing service to the Hudson Oaks community in the new year. 

As our nation moves back to Standard Time beginning November 6, 2011, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) encourages everyone to mark the occasion as a time to test home smoke alarms and replace the batteries if they are more than one year old.

Every day in the United States, needless home fire deaths occur.  Working smoke alarms significantly increase the chance of surviving a deadly home fire.  A properly installed and maintained smoke alarm is the only thing in your home that can alert you and your family to a fire 24 hours per day, seven days per week.  Whether you are awake or asleep, a working smoke alarm is constantly on alert, scanning the air for fire and smoke.

In addition to changing your smoke alarm batteries this weekend, the USFA recommends following these simple steps to protect your life, your loved ones and your home:

On Saturday, October 1, 2011, the Parker County Hospital District (PCHD) will host its Fourth-Annual Miles 4 Mammograms 5K/Fun Run at Gene L. Voyles Park in Hudson Oaks (201 N. Lakeshore Drive). This year, the 5K and 1-mile Fun Run will begin at 5 p.m., rather than in early morning. Immediately following the 5K and Fun Run, at 7 p.m., the public is invited to a free concert in the park featuring The Party Crashers.

At its September 2011 regular meeting, the Hudson Oaks City Council presented three proclamations in honor of special events and designations in the months of September and October.

• Miles 4 Mammograms Week:  September 25-October 1
• National Customer Service Week:  October 3-7
• National Save for Retirement Week:  October 16-22

The City of Hudson Oaks hopes to encourage everyone in the community to support the Miles 4 Mammograms event hosted by Parker County Hospital District, to express their appreciation for the people who provide them with excellent customer service, and to become aware of the tools and resources available to help them save for retirement.

The full text of all three proclamations can be found in the documents linked below.

The City of Hudson Oaks is developing its first Comprehensive Plan and would like to invite everyone in the Hudson Oaks community to participate!

Please join your friends and neighbors at the first meeting of the Comprehensive Plan process on Thursday, September 29 to take part in visioning exercises and express your ideas for the future of Hudson Oaks.  The meeting will begin at 7:15 p.m. at Hudson Oaks City Hall (210 N. Lakeshore Drive).

The Comprehensive Plan is a document used to guide future decisions affecting the community.  The plan will evaluate where Hudson Oaks is today and will recommend concepts such as future land uses, roadway corridor aesthetics, and roadway designs.  It is vital that the Comprehensive Plan reflect the full community's vision for the future, so everyone's participation is important. 

Make plans to come to City Hall on Thursday, September 29 and share your ideas about how Hudson Oaks should grow and develop in future years.  If you have questions about the Comprehensive Plan, contact City staff at 682-229-2400.

On Tuesday, October 4, the City of Hudson Oaks and the Hudson Oaks Police Department will host National Night Out events across the community.

From 5-8 p.m., residents are encouraged to get out to these events, meet your neighbors, and discover ways you can work together to help the community continue to be a safe, welcoming place for those who live and work here. 

For National Night Out, the City will host event sites at three locations, and residents are encouraged to attend the one nearest their homes.

• North of I-20:  Meet at the intersection of Gray Wolf and Red Eagle
• Parker Oaks:  Meet on Austin Street
• Diamond Oaks:  Meet at 212 S. Lakeshore Drive

The City will provide hot dogs, chips and drinks to all attendees, police officers will be on hand at each site so participants can see police vehicles and equipment up close, and other members of the City staff will be around to meet residents and answer any questions they may have about City programs and services.

Beginning August 19, the Hudson Oaks Police Department will be participating in a nationwide crackdown on impaired driving, leading up to the Labor Day holiday weekend.  Through September 5, the HOPD will be focusing enforcement efforts on getting impaired drivers off the road to protect public safety.  The department is committed to arresting everyone found to be driving while "over the limit."  For more information about the "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" initiative, follow the link to the full news release below. 

Effective Monday evening, July 18, 2011, the City of Hudson Oaks is moving into Stage 2 (Severe) of its Water Conservation Plan.  Unusually high demand, coupled with extremely high fire danger has created the need for the immediate reduction of outdoor water use.

Beginning on July 18, outdoor watering with an irrigation (sprinkler) system or a hose-end sprinkler will be limited to the following:

• Properties with EVEN-numbered addresses may only irrigate on MONDAY and THURSDAY.
• Properties with ODD-numbered addresses may only irrigate on TUESDAY and FRIDAY.
• ABSOLUTELY NO outdoor water use will be permitted at any time of day on WEDNESDAY, SATURDAY, OR SUNDAY.
• ABSOLUTELY NO outdoor water use will be permitted between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on ANY day, because that's when evaporation rates are the highest.

Failure to comply with these restrictions will result in disconnection of water service and the imposition of an $80 reconnection fee.