Congratualtions to Cindy Maute.  Cindy and Francesco Costa will receive the Craftsmanship Award for a plaster restoration at  the Preservation Dallas Achievement Awards to be presented on May 16 at The Majestic Theater.  Cindy was honored for the work done at the home she shares with her husband Paul and their family on North Montclair in Winnetka Heights. 

Other winners from Oak Cliff:

• The Dallas Area Rapid Transitpolice headquarters (the former Monroe Shops maintenance building) on South Corinth Road.

• Gloria’s Restaurant (formerly Fire Station #15) at Bishop and Davis.

• Renovation of four cottages on Eighth Street and Bishop Avenue owned by Dave Spence.

And the Adamson High School Alumni Association, along with Oak Cliff resident and Dallas school trustee Eric Cowan, will receive the group’s Stewardship Award for efforts to preserve the historic school.

Passports for Night In The Heights 2012 are SOLD OUT!  Night In The Heights is a progressive cocktail party held each year in Winnetka Heights.  Each year, three neighbors open their homes to a celebration of the food and drink of three different countries.  Your passport gains you entry to each country. Night In The Heights 2012 will be held on Saturday, April 28.

Winnetka Heights is honored to dedicate Night in The Heights 2012 to the Turner House Centennial Celebration. The funds raised from Night in The Heights will be used kick off the building restoration campaign.

The night includes a dazzling raffle for a bevy of incredible items including dinner for four with wine pairings at The Mansion at Turtle Creek PLUS a two-room, one-night stay at the hotel; four VIP tickets to The Kessler Theater with a $50 food and beverage tab for any upcoming show; a wine basket and more!

We have celebrated Italy, Germany, France, Spain, India, Ireland, Lebanon, Thailand, Jamaica, Portugal, Japan, Sweden, USA, Argentina and Mexico in past years.

This year, the party begins in Cuba, a paradise island locked in time. Many things on the island have changed over time, but much remains as though time stands still. Come enjoy a night in Havana, circa 1959. Vintage cars, casinos, the mambo and the delicious cuisine! 

From Cuba, the party will travel en masse to Tahiti, the jewel of French Polynesia and the South Seas. Enjoy a brief respite from the rigors of daily life, tropical drink in hand, as the island breeze gently carries the sounds of paradise to you. Soon enough you will be saying, “Aita pe’ape’a!”

The night ends in the United Kingdom, where we will tip our hats to Queen Elizabeth in the year of her Diamond Jubilee and take a trip through the fog to the ‘80s and ‘90s London club scene. Come sip some Pimm’s, sing along to Rule Britannia and dance the night away!

Click here to buy Raffle Tickets through PayPal:

http://winnetkaheights.org/about/its-time-for-the-2012-edition-of-night-in-the-heights-april-28th/

or email whpresident@winnetkaheights.org for other payment options.

If you live in the City of Dallas, Dallas Water Utilities is conducting FREE automatic irrigation system check-ups.  Poor irrigation scheduling—watering too often and for too long—is the primary source of water waste associated with landscape irrigation. You may be using a lot more water than your lawn needs and if you are a Dallas Water Utilities customer, you can have a FREE irrigation system check-up by a certified landscape irrigation specialist.  These check-ups have saved other customers hundreds of dollars per year on their water bill.  These check-ups can help improve the efficiency of your existing irrigation system by identifying: programming errors, leaks in the system, broken or misaligned equipment, problems with pressure (too high or too low), and coverage problems.  The city’s Irrigation Specialists will also make recommendations such as: programming suggestions, turf water requirements, possible equipment upgrades, and repair and maintenance tips.  Click below for more formation or to schedule your automatic sprinkler system check-up or call  (214) 670-3155.

http://savedallaswater.com/rebates-and-incentives/irrigation-check-ups/

Dallas Water Utilities will host a rain barrel making class taught by Water Resources Extension Program Specialist Dotty Woodson. Participants will learn how to build a 55-gallon rain barrel and discuss how to install an efficient irrigation system.
 
Cost for the class, which is open to Dallas Water Utilities customers only is $50 for each barrel (covers cost of rain barrel and materials)
 
Note: Rain barrels are 24 inches in diameter and 36 inches tall. Please bring a vehicle large enough to haul your rain barrel(s) home.
 
 
When:            6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday May 10

Where:          Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center, Whitehurst  Atrium, 17360 Coit Road.
 
To register for the class visit: http://dallas.tamu.edu/courses/may-10,-2012-making-a-rain-barrel-class-%28dallas-water-utilities-customers-only%29

The Kessler neighborhoods have reported a concern about the wild raccoon population in their neighborhoods, which are just North of Winnetka Heights.  Several neighbors have reported seeing raccoons wandering the streets in daylight hours (something they do not do naturally), and that they are acting strangely, showing no fear of nearby humans, loosing their balance as they walk, etc.   One neighbor reports that the city is aware of a distemper problem, and this may well be the explanation.  We are told that racoon distemperis not normally a threat to humans, but can spread to dogs.  It is generally recognized by Dallas Animal Services that raccoons, though great “looking” animals, are notable disease carriers, including hydrophobia.  Interestingly, opossums, their ugly distant cousins, are positive neighbors (sometimes making a mess, but always on the hunt for snakes and other small varmints).  All that being said, don’t look to this bulletin for authoritative statements on animal diseases, but do be vigilant.  If you see raccoons acting strangely, don’t approach it, call Animal Control (dial 311).  If you want to learn more about raccoon distemper, it’s easily researched on-line through Google, et al.  Perhaps even atwww.dallascityhall.com<http://www.dallascityhall.com> <http://www.dallascityhall.com/> under “animal control.”