Everything is “Figureoutable”. That’s my new motto. Together we can figure this out. And we will and we are.

Yesterday we had a “Push-In” ceremony for our new used ambulance. Unfortunately, the ambulance we spent $90,000 on several months ago turned out to be a lemon. It spent more time in the repair shop than in service. Chief Hester figured it out. He made the dealer trade it for a newer, better ambulance at no cost to the village. The community participated in the “wet down and wipe down” ceremony, which is a symbol of a fresh, clean beginning for the apparatus. Then our EMS, Police and Fire crews performed the final push-in to the bay. This stems from a time-honored fire service tradition when horse drawn equipment had to be physically pushed backwards into station bays

Several days ago, we were notified by Centerpoint that the electricity will be out in a portion of the village from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM on July 14 for transformer upgrades. Right in the middle of summer, when most of us are running our air conditioning full blast to stay cool. Well, we figured it out. Stahlman Park will be opened that day as a cooling center for any residents who cannot make other arrangements to get out of the heat. We will supply water and ice for anyone that needs it. And the best part is that you can bring your animals and do not have to leave them home to suffer in the heat. (As long as they behave. Please keep your dogs on a leash and your cats in their portable cages.)

Last week, when we had an almost tropical storm/hurricane, we figured it out. We had all-hands-on-deck meetings. We had a plan. We were prepared for the worst. As it turned out, the storm passed us by, but our plans are now in place for the next storm. I am particularly proud of our first responders and our emergency management personnel for their preparation and collaboration on helping us devise our plan.

Everything is “figureoutable”. Together we will face each new challenge and figure it out.

On a different note, we have two exciting events this weekend.

On Saturday, June 27 beginning at 6:00 PM you are invited to attend an evening of history at the monument that commemorates the Battle of Velasco. And then at 6:30 PM there will be a presentation featuring Larry Ripper as Aylett “Strap” Buckner, a participant in the Battle, in the City Council room at City Hall. The event is free and refreshments will be provided.

On Sunday, June 28 at 2:00 PM at Stahlman Park, the Save Our Beach Association (SOBA) group will host Frank Billingsley, former meteorologist at KPRC 2 to speak about hurricane preparedness. You do not need to be a member of SOBA to attend, and refreshments will be served also.

Please join us for a weekend of history and hurricanes.

Mayor Marsha