Thursday, May 31, 2012

Outdoor Pools Schedule for this weekend

4 Outdoor Pools will be open Saturday and Sunday

El Paso, Texas - The City of El Paso Parks and Recreation Department will once again be open on Saturday and Sunday for the four outdoor pools. (The weekend schedule for all city pools is attached.)

The indoor pools which are open year-round will be open as well.

Grandview                    3100 Jefferson St.        (915) 566-5586
Lionel Forti                  1225 Giles St.              (915) 595-2786
Nations Tobin              8831 Railroad Dr.        (915) 759-8434
Pavo Real                      110 Presa St.                (915) 858-6315

Saturday June 2            Hours of Operation     11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sunday   June 3            Hours of Operation     1:00 p.m.  –  5:00 p.m.

For more information and to get the indoor pool schedules as well go to www.elpasotexas.gov/parksor follow the Parks and Recreation Department on facebook or twitter.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Be a Lifeguard for Kids this Memorial Day Weekend

18 children have already drowned in Texas this year

Lots of Texans are heading to the water this Memorial Day weekend, the symbolic start of the summer season. It's a great way to beat the heat, but a trip to the water ends in tragedy for too many families. More than 90 kids drown in Texas each year, mostly between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

That's why the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) is kicking off a new campaign called "Watch Kids Around Water". It features a summer-long online ad campaign, a new website ( WatchKidsAroundWater.org) full of safety tips, drowning statistics, and a "Lifeguard 101" teaching tool, plus a fun Facebook app (coming soon) to get people talking about and sharing water safety information. 

The goal? To educate and motivate parents, foster parents, daycare workers, and all caregivers to be "lifeguards" for kids, both indoors and outdoors.

Drowning is a leading cause of accidental death among infants, toddlers and young children. In fact, 18 children have drowned in Texas so far this year. 

“These are heartbreaking tragedies. But, we can prevent them by never leaving children, especially small children, alone around water,” says DFPS Commissioner Howard Baldwin.  “It only takes minutes for a child to drown. So be a lifeguard for all kids and never leave them unsupervised for any length of time.”

Toddlers and preschoolers are the most at risk, and they don't just drown at pools or while swimming. This year, Texas kids have drowned in a bathtub, a hot tub, and in a ditch, as well as in pools and ponds. In the past, toddlers have also drowned in toilets, mop buckets, and even a septic tank. See the map on the WatchKidsAroundWater.org to see where children have drowned in Texas. 

Children under a year old most often drown inside the house (bathtubs, buckets, or toilets), while children from one to four-years old most often drown outdoors, especially in backyard swimming pools. Most young children who drowned in pools were last seen in the home, were out of sight less than five minutes, and were in the care of one or both parents at the time.  

For more information about water safety for kids, visit  WatchKidsAroundWater.org.

Basic Water Safety Tips 

Inside the house 

Never leave small children alone near any container of water. This includes toilets, tubs, aquariums, or mop buckets.

Keep bathroom doors closed and secure toilet lids with lid locks.

Never leave a baby alone in a bath for any reason. Get the things you need before running water. Infants can drown in any amount of water. If you must leave the room, take the child with you.

Warn babysitters or caregivers about the dangers of water to young children and stress the need for constant supervision.

Make sure small children cannot leave the house through pet doors or unlocked doors and reach pools or hot tubs.  

Outside the house

Never leave children alone around water whether it is in a pool, wading pool, drainage ditch, creek, pond or lake.

Constantly watch children who are swimming or playing in water. They need an adult or certified lifeguard watching and within reach.

Secure access to swimming pools. Use fences, self-closing and latching gates, and water surface alarms.

Completely remove the pool cover when the pool is in use.

Store water toys away from the water, when not in use, so they don't attract a small child.

Don’t assume young children will use good judgment and caution around water.

Be ready for emergencies. Keep emergency telephone numbers handy and learn CPR.

Find out if your child's friends or neighbors have pools.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

CALL TO ARTISTS

City of El Paso “Art Windows” 2013

The City of El Paso International Airport seeks to establish a pool of artists or artist teams from the Greater El Paso area for consideration in upcoming exhibits forArt Windows All interested artists are encouraged to apply online at www.callforentry.org. Applications must be successfully completed following all submission requirements by Wednesday August 1st, 5:00pm MST. For detailed information please visit www.elpasoartsandculture.org and click on the “Public Art” Tab.

About Art Windows

Art Windows provides an exhibit space for 5-10 pieces of work between two display cases for a three-month period. The designated space is intended to showcase El Paso as an international cultural destination through high quality art and visual experiences. Applicants must be an independent artist or artist team 18 and over residing in the Greater El Paso area which includes Las Cruces, New Mexico and Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Monday, May 14, 2012

Armed Forces Day 2012

Armed Forces Day 2012 comes to Fort Bliss 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, May
19, at BIGGS PARK. It's FREE and open to the public.

Activities include: demonstration by the Military Police Working Dog Teams,
Rappelling, entertainment by the 1st Armored Division Band and special
entertainment provided by the Fort Bliss MWR; Marksmanship Center, Chili
Cook-Off, Car Show, HEALTH FAIR, EAST FORT BLISS Tours and food and drink
concessions.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

FREE Showerheads!

El Paso Water Utilities customers can now pick up a free water-efficient showerhead while paying their bill or managing their account at the utility’s Customer Service Center.

EPWU is extending the showerhead give-away program and adding the new more convenient pick-up location to make it easier for customers to get the water-saving fixtures. The showerheads will help customers conserve water, save money and live more responsibly as our region’s on-going drought continues. They use no more than 2.5 gallons of water per minute and can save 2,600 gallons of water per month.

This round of distribution begins on Thursday, May 10, at the following locations and will continue while supplies last.

§  EPWU Customer Service Center, 6400 Boeing Drive, Mondays through Fridays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

§  TecH2O Center, 10751 Montana Ave., Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Residential customers must bring their most recent water bill or a completed coupon with them. The coupon is available for customers to download atLessIsMoreEP.org

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Free Comic Book Day

The El Paso Public Library will be celebrating Free Comic Book Day on Saturday, May 5 at all Public Library locations.  Each branch has a limited supply of comic books to give away free to the public while supplies last.  The comic books were provided free courtesy of www.diamondcomics.com.  For more information, please call your local branch library.