Katy Goes International

A magazine from Japan came to Texas to do a story on how the Lone Star State was “going green.” They visited Houston and Dallas in their quest. Click here to see a copy of one page of the four-page spread in Sotokoto and see if you recognize anyone. And let us know what you think the photo captions say.

Latest on Lighting

There’s been a delay in completing the lighting on the Katy Trail. The final two meters – one at Travis Street and the other at Tracy Street – have not been installed by Oncor yet. Until they are, the lighting installer cannot test the lights on the northernmost mile of the Trail to see if they work.

When we last spoke with Oncor three weeks ago, they said the meters would be installed “soon.” Not sure what the definition of “soon” is, though. Once the meters are in, the contractor will test the lights, make any adjustments, complete his final “to-do list” and the lights will be fully operational. We’re still hopeful that the lighting will be working in the next few weeks.

Walk to School Day is Coming Up

Walk-to-School-Day is October 8 this year. Nearly 1,500 schools are participating from 48 states to encourage students to get to school without a car. Walk-to-School Day in the United States is part of international Walk-to-School Day, which involves more than three million walkers around the world.

Why promote walking and biking to school?
Engaging in active transportation at a young age is an important step for children to develop into lifelong walkers and bikers. In 1969, 50 percent of American children walked to school, but by 2004 that number had dropped to 14 percent. Several problems have accompanied this decrease. Parents dropping their kids off at school account for 20 to 30 percent of all morning rush hour traffic. Further, 50 percent of all American children (under age 19) were overweight or obese in 2003, compared to 15 percent in the early 1970s. Walking or biking to and from school is an easy way for children to build activity into their lives and meet the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation of 30 minutes of moderate physical activity at least five days a week.

Latest on the PSA

I talked with the composer yesterday. He said he thought he'd have music back to us by Monday. Once we have his tracks, we'll do a polish edit of a 30 sec and 1 minute version. We do have some post- production to do to make the motion control shots look perfect. We're shooting to have everything wrapped up this month.

Lost & Found

We've recently gotten calls about a few things that have been lost and found on the Katy Trail. If you think either of these are yours, call our office at 214-303-1180 and we'll reunite you.

1. A pair of nice sunglasses. Call our office to describe them and if they're yours, we'll make sure you get the back. Otherwise, KT has taken quite a fancy to them.
2. A cat was found on Sept. 14. near KT 117. He's not feral and clearly comes from a good home. If you think he's yours, give us a call so he can come home.

We'll keep you updated if we get any other calls about stuff lost and found on the Trail.

Waiting to Hear the Music

Regarding the PSA that we're all dying to see, we've done a rough cut (1 minute version) and are working with our composer to develop music. Once the music is done, we'll re-edit the rough and then develop a 30 second verison.

Then you'll get to see it(and maybe yourself if you volunteered to be in it) and all it's magnificent glory.

Clearing on the Trail

Just a reminder that Lawns of Dallas is scheduled to start clearing work on the Katy Trail between the Harry Hines and McKinnon bridges on Monday, Sept. 8.

Chris Miller, who oversaw the clearing of the limestone escarpment from Harry Hines to the Victory Overlook, will be supervising.

Don't worry, this is a good thing.

Mark Your Calendar for Katy Trail Days

Yes, your favorite time on the Trail, Katy Trail Days has returned this year and will be better than ever. To make sure you don't miss a thing, mark your calendars for these events:

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25

• Chalk Art Competition 10 a.m. 4 p.m. Area students will create works of art featuring Katy Trail Days themes on the Katy Trail. The young artists will compete for prizes from area restaurants and retailers. Trail users will pick the winners by voting at www.KatyTrailDallas.org
• On-Trail Entertainment 10 a.m. 4 p.m. Bands, clowns, jugglers, face painters and chalk artists will be on the Trail for six hours of non-stop entertainment. Located at various locations along the Trail, all entertainment is free.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26

• Pumpkin Party 3-5 p.m. Children and families will fill Reverchon Park for an outdoor Pumpkin Festival, where pumpkins can be purchase, designed, carved and decorated all in one spot. Live music, tasty treats, spicy drinks and ghostly tunes round out the festivities.
• On-Trail Entertainment 10 a.m. 4 p.m. Bands, clowns, jugglers, face painters and chalk artists will be on the Trail for six hours of non-stop entertainment. Located at various locations along the Trail, all entertainment is free.
  

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29

• Pub Crawl 6-8 p.m. One of the most popular events of Katy Trail Days is back for its second year. Crawlers get to sample signature drinks from some of the hippest bars, pubs and restaurants in Dallas. Cost is $50 per person, with all ticket sales at www.KatyTrailDallas.org. Members receive a discount.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1

• Dog Trot 10 a.m. 12 p.m. A new event geared for our furry friends and the people they own. The Katy Trail Days Dog Trot begins at the American Airlines Center and travels 3K up to Reverchon Park, where a post-race party features music, doggie massages, food and drinks for dogs and people. Entry fee is $25.
• On-Trail Entertainment 10 a.m. 4 p.m. Bands, clowns, jugglers, face painters and chalk artists will be on the Trail for six hours of non-stop entertainment. Located at various locations along the Trail, all entertainment is free.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2

• On-Trail Entertainment 10 a.m. 4 p.m. Bands, clowns, jugglers, face painters and chalk artists will be on the Trail for six hours of non-stop entertainment. Located at various locations along the Trail, all entertainment is free.

Oh, and we got the alcohol permit this morning for the post-race party after the Dog Trot, so you know it will be a great party. Stay tuned for all the latest info after our meeting tomorrow.

PSA Progress

Good news for all of you anticipating the fabulous Katy Trail PSA. . . . The transfer house finally re-digitized the final reels of film we shot for the PSA. We're going to pick up the hard drives this afternoon and continue the editing process.

We'll let you know when we've got it ready for your viewing pleasure.

Latest on Lighting

So far, the only section of lighting that is operating on the Trail is the southern half mile that we turned on at the end of June. And for now, those lights are only coming on at night – when the sun goes down until 11 p.m.

The next three sections, which will take the lighting to Fitzhugh, are almost ready to turn on. All the wire has been pulled and the meters are set. The city’s contractor is testing the lights now to see what additional work needs to be done. The wire has also been pulled for the final two sections, but Oncor has not set the meters yet.

Once everything is in place, the lights will operate from 5 a.m. to sunrise, and then again from sunset to 11 p.m. daily.

Pollution Prevention Week in Dallas

The City of Dallas will be hosting Pollution Prevention Week September 15th – 20th and wants you to know all about it. Click here for information about the Green Festival and click here for all the information about Pollution Prevention Week.

The Half Meets the Trail

The White Rock Half Marathon will finish on the Katy Trail this year. Click here for a pdf of the course map. Pretty cool.

Lee Park overlook gets good reviews

When shown the plans for the proposed plaza on the Katy Trail overlooking Lee Park on Monday, the donors who have contributed generously to the Friends of the Katy Trail for the project were pleased with the latest design. The executive committee of the Lee Park/Arlington Hall Conservancy also expressed their support of the design, as has the Friends of the Katy Trail’s executive committee. Developers planning projects near the site have also been impressed. Scroll down to see a sneak preview of the plaza.

Another Feral Cat Resource

Here’s some additional information about feral cats for those interested. There’s a Dallas group located on Preston Road called Feral Friends who can answer any questions you may have about feral cats on the Katy Trail. Their website is www.feralfriends.org and they can be reached at 972-671-0429.

Dealing with Feral Cats

It has been reported that there is a small colony of feral cats on the Katy Trail. Studies have proven that trap-neuter-release is the single most successful method of stabilizing and maintaining healthy feral cats with the least possible cost to local governments and residents, while providing the best life for the animals themselves.

Spaying or neutering homeless cats:

· Stabilizes the population at manageable levels
· Eliminates annoying behaviors associated with mating
· Is humane to the animals and fosters compassion in the neighborhoods
· Is more effective and less costly than repeated attempts at extermination.

The best thing to do with feral cats is try to catch them and take them to a vet where they can be spayed or neutered. For tips on how to trap a feral cat, click on http://www.feralcat.com/trapinst.html and follow the instructions.

The Feral Cat Coalition of San Diego California has a great website to answer all your feral cat questions. The address is http://www.feralcat.com/.

McKinney Avenue Entry Plaza - Dedo's Place

Three contractors returned bids for the construction of the entry plaza that will be on the far north end of the Katy Trail. This plaza, known as Dedo’s Place in honor of long-time board member Dallas community volunteer Dedo Kidd, could be under contract as early as Oct. 1 and under construction by Thanksgiving. That would allow for trees and landscaping to be planted in the February-May months that those types of materials love.

Katy Trail Days Schedule

For all of you who just can't wait for Katy Trail Days, here's a preview of what we've got lined up for you:

• Saturday, Oct. 25 - On-Trail Entertainment - 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
• Sunday, Oct. 26 - On-Trail Entertainment - 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
• Sunday, Oct. 26 - Pumpkin Party - 3-5 p.m. in Reverchon Park
• Wednesday, Oct. 29 - Pub Crawl - 6-8 p.m. at West Village
• Saturday, Nov. 1 - On-Trail Entertainment - 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 1 - Dog Trot - 10 a.m. - AAC to Reverchon Park with after party at Reverchon Park
• Sunday, Nov. 2 - - On-Trail Entertainment - 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Stay tuned for all the details and registration.

Lee Park Plaza Progress

SWA Group, the landscape architects under contract with the Friends of the Katy Trail, have made some outstanding revisions to the design of the plaza on the Katy Trail overlooking Lee Park that was generously funded by the Snyder family. The designers will meet with the engineer-types from the City’s Park Department at the end of next week to nail down dates for the final design-bidding-construction process. Then, the following week, will present their design to the Snyders. Once we get their blessing, the Friends of the Katy Trail will post some renderings on this blog of what the plaza will look like. Stay tuned.

Ask KT - Up on the Blog Again

After a Friend told us our "Ask KT" blog post was going to fall off face of the blogosphere(actually just roll to the next page, but it's almost the same thing), we decided to repost it so you can easily ask KT any questions you might have.

You can submit your question for KT to answer in a future newsletter or on our webpage. Go ahead, click below and ask KT your questions.

Latest on Lighting

We spent three hours on the Trail on Tuesday and chatted with the contractor installing the lighting. He said that the power is finally flowing to the master panel in the section between Blackburn and Fitzhugh, and he’ll start checking the system in that area this week to see if the lights turn on. He was working on the section north of Harvard at the time, and said he thought he’d have all the wire pulled within two weeks. If all goes well, the trouble shooting will take place the last week of August and the lighting working by mid-September.

PSA in Progress

You probably remember that we shot our PSA last month and you're wondering when you'll get to see the finished product, so here's an update:

Since we shot the PSA on film(higher quality stuff), it needs to be transferred to be edited. The transfer should be complete next week and then editing will probably take another two weeks or so. We're as anxious as you are to see how it turns out and we'll make sure to keep you updated.

Trashy News

No, this has nothing to do with Brittney & K-Fed, Madonna & A-Rod, or Jessica & Romo. It’s much more trashy than all that.

Do you know how many trash receptacles are on the Katy Trail? Bill, our trail monitor guy who you see in the golf cart zipping up and down the Trail, sure does. He recently completed a trash receptacle count. The answer is … 34.

Bill did the count at the request of a donor, who wanted to make sure Trail users had the best opportunities to help keep the Katy Trail clean. The answer appears to be “they do.” It also showed us just two locations where we can make improvements.

Always working for you – no matter how trashy the subject.

Katy Trail on DFW Scene

If you're a regular trail user, you know the Katy Trail is one of the best spots in town to see and be seen. But for those who are still looking for the hot scene in Dallas, check out NBC's recent story about the DFW Scene and Things to Do.

Katy 5K Named "Best Party"

The much-anticipated D-Magazine “Best of” issue is about to hit newsstands, and once again the Friends of the Katy Trail makes the list. This time for the Michelob Ultra Katy 5K. D-Mag chose it “Best Post-Race Party” and said that “people tend to run this race fast so they can be first in line for beer, vino from Barefoot Wines, and grub from some of the yummiest restaurants in town.”

Last May’s race was attended by almost 4,500 participants. Don’t miss the 2009 race on Thursday, May 21.

Katy 5K Goes Worldwide

The Friends of the Katy Trail had a number of extra Michelob Ultra No. 10 Katy 5K shirts in youth sizes, and we know it’s important to help others. We have a friend who works with orphanages in Myanmar/Burma and we shared the extras with them, as well as a number of cyclone survivors. The kids particularly love the shirts and use them for soccer uniforms Check out the pictures below and to see the Friends of the Katy Trail helping out half a world away.

Irrigation repaired on north end

If it looks like some of the plants on the north end of the Katy Trail are under stress from the Texas heat and lack of rain, you are correct. It didn’t help that the irrigation system installed by the Friends of the Katy Trail was damaged during construction of the lighting. But there is good news …

Last Thursday, the irrigation specialist from Moore Lawn & Garden, who does the maintenance of the north end of the Trail, checked the entire system and repaired everything they found wrong. The irrigation should be working again, except where perhaps some dirt got into the lines and will temporarily clog a sprinkler head.

The best news is that our landscape architect believes we caught the problems soon enough to save all the landscaping.

Making Dallas Safe and Walkable

The Federal Highway Administration Office of Safety has released a new publication: “A Resident's Guide for Creating Safe and Walkable Communities.” The Guide offers a user-friendly resource with ideas and references on issues that affect walking conditions, finds ways to address or prevent these problem, and promotes pedestrian safety. It provides several community success stories along with fact sheets, worksheets, and sample materials.

Here’s a link to the online version. It parallels what we’re trying to accomplish and is a great resource for you to find out more about making Dallas a safe and walkable city.

Location Map for 911 & Access Points

We've heard it before. It's a beautiful day and you're out on the Trail and then you realize . . . you're lost. Sure, it's a linear trail and you could just turn around and go back where you were coming from, but you want to know where you are right now.

Have no fear, here's the map of where the 911 location markers are so you'll never be lost on the Katy Trail again. Or you can click here to download it too.

Lighting Construction Still Going

After a slight delay waiting for meters to be installed and activated, the electrical contractor installing the lighting on the Katy Trail reports that the next two sections are ready for connections to be made to the light poles. Look for the contractor to be pulling wires by the end of the week.

New 911 signs make news

Councilmember Angela Hunt had a press conference on the Katy Trail two Fridays ago, and all the major news organizations were there. Here’s a sample of the media coverage:

Dallas' Katy Trail Gets GPS Security Upgrade
NBC5i.com - Fort Worth,TX,USA

Katy Trail To Benefit From GPS Technology
CBS 11 - Dallas,TX,USA

Signs of safety along Katy trail
WFAA - Dallas,TX,USA

Dallas police, fire, and city officials unveil new Katy Trail ...
Pegasus News - Dallas,TX,USA

Dallas officials hope GPS markers will make Katy Trail safer 9:41 ...
Dallas Morning News - Dallas,TX,USA

Tell us what you think of the new signs and lighting on the Katy Trail.