In a water system, there are times that the water is discolored to a yellow, orange or even brownish color. This is caused by cast iron or steel water mains and private plumbing and at times manganese. Manganese is naturally occurring in water sources but can increase in years of heavy rains on the watershed. Manganese is not harmful at the levels found but can be a nuisance by discoloring the water. Over time, manganese will attach itself to the pipes and release when there are extreme changes in velocity or pressure similar to when there is a main break or during a fire department testing of the hydrants.
Manville Water will perform a free chlorine shock and extensive directional flushing of its system. This should help remove iron, manganese and other constituents in the mains and should help overall quality. Normally the water is treated with a disinfectant called “chloramine” which is a long-lasting disinfectant that ensures the safety of the water. Free chlorine is a stronger disinfectant but does not hold its strength as long in the system. Free chlorine is the disinfectant of choice when performing a system wide maintenance flush. It will help us cleanse the lines and ensure that the water continues to be safe to drink.
The Manor subdivisions directly supplied by Manville Water include Stonewater, Bell Farms and Carriage Hills. The remainder of the Manor water system will be indirectly affected as all water purchased by the City of Manor from the City of Pflugerville is transported through Manville pipes and tanks.
During these efforts to improve water quality as a whole, there will be times of low water pressure, odors and taste that are abnormal. Particles are possible in the water. The particles should be rust particles from the iron mains with manganese attached. Each water system will attempt to flush the particles, color and odor from the mains with directional flushing. There is a possibility that some of the color and odor will get into your lines. Manville Water is dedicated to making sure the water is safe to drink and will be monitoring the disinfectant levels continually during the work. If you get an odor or taste in your water, it does not mean it is unsafe to drink. Odors will be caused by the free chlorine disinfectant reacting in the lines to cleanse the system. Nuisance issues will go away as the work is completed.
After the completion of the work, the water quality of each respective utility will be substantially better than before. Our work will help the mains retain their disinfectant residual longer and will reduce monthly flushing. In turn, this flushing program will save money and help keep operational cost down while providing the customers a better quality product. Please be patient with your utility during their efforts to serve you better. If you have questions please call the City of Manor at 272-5555 or for an after-hours emergency call 703-8587.

In May, the City of Manor and CiviGuard announced a partnership centered around testing and deploying the first location-based emergency management system. We are now looking for 200 beta-testers (in Manor, Texas) that would like to participate in the testing of this revolutionary system.  For the first phase of testing we are looking for citizens with either an iPhone, Blackberry or Android-based handheld.  You can visit http://manor.civiguard.me/signup/ to sign-up to participate.

Plans for Week of July 6-9:  Complete the pouring between Wheeler and Eggleston that was delayed by last week’s rain.  Construct  forms between Eggleston and old Post Office.  Concrete may be laid if time and weather permit.

To July 4th:  Sidewalks laid from Townes to Wheeler.  Finish up at corners still remains.  Project is about 5% complete.

Grant Funding:  ARRA $128,748; STP-MM $103,100; Total $231,848

Contractor:  Forsythe Brothers Infrastructure  Contract amount: initial-$158,164;  $10,000 change to allow for 5′ sidewalks to be funded by ARRA;  additional change required under ARRA regulations for testing of concrete at $430 per test (total to be determined).

Total payments made to date:  $0

A reminder that all fireworks are banned in the City of Manor and the city police will have zero tolerance for violators during the 4th of July weekend.

City ordinance prohibits the selling, use, discharge, igniting, detonation, possession or to knowingly assisting  in any way a person under eighteen years of age in violating this ordinance.   It is also illegal to discharge fireworks from a location outside the city limits such that the fireworks shoots into the city limits.

Penalties for violations range from $500 to $2,000 per each offense.

Several fireworks stands operate along US 290.  Those on the south side of the highway are not in the city limits and the fireworks stand at FM 973 on the north side of US 290 is not in the city limits.  Although Tee Time Golf is in the city limits, the fireworks stand was grandfathered for operation at the time of annexation.

In addition to the older section of Manor and numerous tracts of vacant property, the following subdivisions are in the city limits:  Greenbury, Stonewater, Carriage Hills, Bell Farms, Hamilton Point, and Wildhorse Creek.

City of Manor offices will be closed Monday, July 5th in observance of Independence Day.  Offices will reopen on Tuesday, July 6th at 8:00 am.

Trash pickup days will not change.

Code Red is the City of Manor’s mass-notification system used for city emergencies (such as boil water notices, weather notifications, etc.)

If you would like to update your information, click here.

If you would like to remove your information, click here.

You have have any questions about this system, please e-mail us at questions@cityofmanor.org.

A water line that has been leaking for several months is scheduled for repair during the early morning hours of June 15th.  The repair will result in water being shut off for a short period thus requiring the city to issue a boil water notice.  The area affected will include all users west of Lexington north of the railroad tracks and south of Murray Lane.

Since it was not a serious leak, the city held off on repairing the line until school was out because the boil water requirement would have impacted New Tech High.   The city is required to issue a boil water notice if pressure is lost in a water line.  The notice remains in effect until test can be completed on water samples, a process that can take up to 48 hours.

City crews will dig down to the line in several places on Monday June 14th.  The actual line repairs will be made after midnight on June 15th.  While the line is under repair, the city will also install valves at several locations so future breaks can be better isolated and affect fewer residents and businesses in the future.

Water should be back on well before morning to allow residents to have water for bathing etc.   Boiling water is only necessary for water used for consumption and cooking.  Water can be set aside in the refrigerator prior to Tuesday to help avoid the need to boil water for consumption.

A CodeRed alert is planned for Thursday evening June 10th and again on Monday evening June 14th to remind citizens of the boil water notice.  When the boil water notice is lifted, another Code Red alert will be made and notice put on this website and the Manor Messenger website (manormessengeronline.com).

Should a problem occur you should monitor the city and Messenger websites for information.

Summer Internship Opportunities – Stanford Peace Innovation Lab

The Peace Innovation Lab will be offering unpaid summer internship opportunities at three different locations:

• Stanford University
• CSU East Bay
• City of Manor, Texas

All three sites will be working on different peace antecedents ranging from good governance (City of Manor) to interpersonal communications and conflict resolution (CSU Easty Bay).

Interested? Please send your CV/Resume/LinkedIn profile to quihuis@stanford.edu (Please specify which location you’re interested in within the e-mail)

Projects Include

• Manor Labs

Inspired by social innovation game platforms such as Urgent Evoke, we’re looking to create an engaging civic game that teaches and inspires Manor citizens to become change agents in their community.

• Facebook App Development

Work with Persuasive Tech Lab and Manor Labs to create Facebook apps for civic engagement

• Wiki Development

Work with Persuasive Tech Lab and Manor Labs to create a domain-specific wiki around civic policy/research

• Nike+ App

Develop a Nike+ app mashup that couples health and civic participation

• Semantic Web

Help with the City of Manor’s current Semantic Web research & development.

Manor will be host to Manor.GovFresh, a conference designed to help spark local government innovations.

“Manor wants to help re-define what it means to have a conference. Conferences are traditionally centered around knowledge transfer, and we want to transfer immediate, tangible value to other communities like ours. We want to show other local governments that Manor is not a unique, one-time experiment. Everything we’ve done in the last three years can be replicated cost-effectively and applied within the context of their agency or community.”

Coming August 2010

For more information, or to sign-up to receive event notifications, please visit http://govfresh.com/2010/04/manor-govfresh-big-ideas-for-small-town-america/

Today, the City of Manor challenges its residents to complete and mail back the 2010 Census form in an effort to eclipse the area’s Census 2000 mail participation rates.

“A complete and accurate count of the people in our community will help ensure that we receive our fair share of federal dollars and representation in government,” said Phil Tate, Manor’s City Manager. “Please join me in taking 10 minutes to answer 10 questions that are vital to our community’s future.”

One of the shortest census forms in U.S. Census history, the 2010 Census form asks 10 questions and takes about 10 minutes to complete. Responses to the census form should include everyone that will be living at that address as of Census Day, April 1, 2010, the official day of the population count. (It is not necessary to wait until April 1, 2010, to return the census form, however. Forms should be returned as soon as possible.)

Mailing back a form ensures an accurate count and lowers the cost of the 2010 Census by reducing the number of census workers who must go door-to-door to collect census data. About $85 million is saved for every one percent increase in mail participation. Also, the Census Bureau saves $60-$70 per census form returned by mail.

Questionnaire Assistance Centers (QAC) will be available to assist those unable to read or understand the census form. For those with visual impairments, the Language Assistance Guide will be available in large print and Braille. Deaf and hard-of-hearing persons who do not have access to Video Relay Service (VRS) can call the TDD number, 1-866-783-2010. In addition to these options, Language Assistance Guides will be available in 59 languages at all QAC locations.

From March 22 through May 3, 2010, daily mail participation rate maps and data tables will be available at 2010census.gov. The last mail participation update and the challenge winner will be announced on May 3, 2010.

For more information, visit 2010census.gov.

Real-time Participation Level: