Huge Developments for Waco Mammoth Site

If you haven’t been following the local news regarding the Waco mammoth site, you can catch up by visiting the new Web site at www.wacomammoth.org.

This fall, the National Park Service released the findings of the first phase of their investigation of the significance, suitability and feasibility of the site. They found that the mammoth site “was a suitable candidate for inclusion into the national park system (Source: National Park Service Newsletter, August 2007).”

The National Park Service is now studying possible scenarios for management of the site. Once this study is complete, the U.S. Congress will make the final decision about whether or not to add the Waco Mammoth site to the National Park System.

In October, three major donations were announced that will be used to fund phase one of the development of the Waco mammoth site. This will involve building a metal building to cover and protect the site, and amenities such as rest rooms, walkways, parking lots and an entry road, that would allow local citizens and tourists to visit the site. The estimated cost for Phase I is $3.2 million.

The Paul and Jane Meyer Family Foundation has donated $270,000, and the family also gave a personal gift, a matching grant up to $1.5 million. The Waco Mammoth Foundation has already received a $200,000 Save America’s Treasures grant to apply towards the project.

For the latest news, please visit the new Web site, which provides links to the National Park Service Web site, a list of the board members for the Waco Mammoth Foundation, and information about the history of the site, future plans and a photo gallery.

For additional information, you can also contact City of Waco Parks & Recreation at 750-5980.

Holiday Collection Schedule

The City of Waco will not offer solid waste services on Tuesday, Jan. 1 and Monday, Jan. 21 in observation of New Year’s and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

For both holidays, the routes will be picked up on Wednesday. All other routes will not change.

On New Year’s Day, the landfill and Cobbs Collection Center will be closed. However, on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the landfill will be open, but the Cobbs Collection Center will be closed.

For more information, contact the City of Waco Solid Waste Department at 299-2612.

City Fireworks Ordinance

The City of Waco Fire Department encourages everyone to have a safe holiday season.

In connection with the New Years’ holiday, the Fire Department reminds everyone it is a violation of city ordinances to possess, use, manufacture, sell, give away, transport or discharge fireworks within the city limits of Waco without a permit from the fire marshal.

The ordinance also prohibits the possession of fireworks by a minor. The fine for violating the ordinance is $215 for possession, sale, give away or use of fireworks; and the fine for aiding a minor to use fireworks is $255.

For more information, call the City of Waco Fire Department at 750-1740.

WCCC-TV News

Throughout the year, the Waco History Project has created numerous presentations on aspects of Waco’s past. From a presentation made by Wilton Lanning earlier this year, the Waco City Cable Channel has produced a video on early aviation in Waco, which will air in January.

You will learn how Waco’s Rich Field air strip (now the location of the H.O.T. Fairgrounds, Lion’s Den and Waco High School) was a practice field for World War II pilots and eventually Waco’s first Municipal Airport.

WCCC-TV programming can be seen on Time Warner and Grande cable networks. A weekly program schedule is listed on the City’s Web site under News & Information. The prime-time schedule is listed in the Waco Tribune-Herald each day. For more information about WCCC-TV programming, call 750-5637.

Community Volunteers Needed

As a part of the Central Texas Medical Reserve Corp, the McLennan County Community Health Ambassador volunteer program is designed to fill a need in our community for health advocates. Community Health Ambassadors are volunteers who desire to ensure that good health and long life is enjoyed by all.

These volunteers come from all vocations, not just those with a health or medical background; although some medical and health professionals are needed, there is a great need for non-medical community members to volunteer.

Community Health Ambassadors are required to participate in MRC and Community Health training and complete volunteer hours yearly. To find out more about the Community Health Ambassador program, please contact Bambi Barron at bambib@ci.waco.tx.us or visit www.mclennanpublichealth.org/volunteer.htm.

Lending a Hand
at Cameron Park

Thanks to volunteers from Boy Scout Troop 436, Woodway First United Methodist Church, Waco Bike Club and Baylor Kappa Omega Tau, Cameron Park has benefited from the help of many volunteers during the past few months.

The City of Waco Parks and Recreation Department maintains the more than 20 miles of trails within the park, but volunteer support for upkeep and improvements is crucial.

The Park Rangers often coordinate volunteer projects such as trail clearing, erosion control and litter removal. With the arrival of winter, much of the vegetation within the park clears out, providing the opportunity for such projects. For more information or to schedule a volunteer group project, call 750-8057.

Diabetes Class

The Waco-McLennan County Public Health District is sponsoring the “Do Well, Be Well with Diabetes” self-management course in partnership with the Texas Cooperative Extension.

The course will consist of 10 lessons covering topics such as diet planning, blood glucose monitoring, exercise, managing complications and more.

The series is taught by a variety of diabetes and health educators, nurses and dietitians in five sessions. The course will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays on Jan. 17, 22, 24, 29, and 31 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Preparedness Training Room at the Health District.

The course is primarily for those with diabetes, pre-diabetes and family members and is free of charge. Interested participants should register in advance by calling 750-5631 or christines@ci.waco.tx.us.

Earned Income Tax Credit:
Earn It. Claim It. Save It.

Some dedicated local volunteers want Waco area workers to know that they could be eligible for a tax refund of up to $4,700, and they are even willing to help you fill out the appropriate paper work.

ABC Waco is operated by NeighborWorks Waco, a local non-profit, and represents more than 50 organizations and institutions that have agreed to help spread the word about Earned Income Tax Credit or EITC, as well as free tax preparation services in general.

They promote financial awareness through supporting two free tax preparation programs in Waco; an IRS/VITA site at A.J. Moore Academy and eight sites through AARP. They also help connect taxpayers with asset-building services provided by the local non-profit community, such as financial literacy and Individual Development Accounts.

Here’s what to consider in determining whether you’ll qualify for an EITC credit:

• Workers raising one qualifying child with a 2007 family income of less than $33,241 (or $35,241 married filing jointly) can get an EITC up to $2,853;
• Workers raising more than one qualifying child with a 2007 family income less than $37,783 (or $39,783 for married filing jointly) can get an EITC up to $4,716;
• Workers aged between 25 and 64 on Dec. 31, 2007, not raising children, with a 2007 income below $12,590 (or $14,590 for married filing jointly) can get an EITC up to $428.

Taxpayers should be aware that a variety of restrictions may apply and they should seek a tax preparer, preferably a free one, or consult IRS Publication 596 to determine eligibility.

AARP Sites:

Harrison Center, 1718 North 42nd St.
Opens Feb. 5
Tuesday: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Thursday: 11 a.m to 3 p.m.

NeighborWorks Waco, 922 Franklin Ave.
Opens Jan. 28
Monday - Thursday: 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 2710 Speight
Open Jan. 30 - March 14
Wednesday - Friday: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Waco McLennan County Library,
1717 Austin Ave.
Opens Feb. 5
Tuesday & Thursday: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

R. B. Hoover Branch Library,
1428 Wooded Acres Dr.
Opens Feb. 1
Monday: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Providence Hospital, 6901 Medical Parkway
Opens Feb. 4
Monday & Wednesday: 1 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Hewitt Community Center, 208 Chama
Opens Feb. 4
Monday: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) sites include:

A.J. Moore School Library, 500 N. University Parks
Open Jan. 17 - April 15.
Monday, Tuesday & Thursday: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

For more information about the tax preparation centers, call NeighborWorks at 752-1647.

Join the Get Fit Club
for the New Year

Make your New Year’s resolution a reality by staying active and improving your health at the City of Waco Parks and Recreation Department’s fitness and wellness rooms.

The rooms provide an affordable, private workout and feature equipment such as cardio machines, free weights and weight stack machines. Hours are 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m Monday - Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m Saturday. Cost is $1 per session or $20 for 30 sessions.

The fitness and wellness rooms are located at the following recreation centers: Bledsoe-Miller, 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 254-750-8684; and Dewey, 925 N. 9th, 254-750-8677.

Christmas Tree Recycling

After the presents are unwrapped, it’s time to recycle your Christmas tree.

Bring the undecorated tree to Keep Waco Beautiful at the Paul Tyson Field parking lot on Saturday, Jan. 5 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. and watch the tree turn into a bag of mulch.

Those who participate may take the mulch home and use it on their lawns or gardens. They will also receive a small tree sapling. For more information, contact Keep Waco Beautiful at 750-5728.

Resolve to Begin
Recycling in 2008

While most people think of dieting and exercise when beginning a new year, why not consider making recycling a priority.

The City of Waco’s residential curbside recycling service makes it easy to recycle paper, plastics and metals. All of the recycling items can be placed unsorted in the blue recycling carts that are available at no extra charge to solid waste utility customers.

The plastic materials that will be accepted include plastic grocery bags, plastic eating utensils and containers that have the symbols ranging from #1-#7 on the bottom of the container.

Metals that will be accepted include tin cans and lids, aluminum cans and aluminum baking tins.

Citizens have the convenience of placing all recycling items into one cart. However, because all of the items are placed in the same cart, everyone is encouraged to clean the plastic and metal items to prevent contamination of the paper products.

This service is being offered at no additional cost to Waco citizens. The recycling program was created in October of 2000 to help save valuable landfill space. For more information, call Solid Waste Services at 299-2612.