Citizen Connection Sept 2020DME Upgrades City-Owned
Vehicle Charging Stations
On Aug. 7, Denton Municipal Electric (DME)
upgraded outdated city-owned electric vehicle
(EV) charging stations with modern platforms at
the North Branch Library, North Lakes Recreation
Center, South Branch Library, and South Lakes
Park.
The EV charging station upgrade replaces ten
outdated single-port Blink chargers with four
state-of-the-art Level 2 dual-port ChargePoint
Chargers. The new chargers have more customer-
friendly features and will provide DME with
additional services currently not available with
existing chargers. The most important benefit
from the new charging platform is the availability
of usage data. The platform will provide DME with
usage data from the vehicles that elect to utilize
the chargers. This data is a critical component of
DME’s EV infrastructure plan.
The upgrade to the charging stations is the first
phase of DME’s EV strategy to address short
and long-term service and infrastructure needs
that will arise as EV adoption increases. This EV
strategy consists of upgrading existing chargers,
establishing a public charger rebate program,
expanding the public-owned charging network,
and encouraging beneficial home charging
behaviors. Additionally, this is in line with the
Sustainability Plan Transportation Strategy, which
sets out to develop an Electric Vehicle Strategy
to address short and long term infrastructure
and charging needs as electric vehicle ownership
expands.
If you have an electric vehicle, come check out
our new charging stations and join us to celebrate
National Drive Electric Week 2020. National Drive
Electric Drive Week is a nationwide celebration to
raise awareness of the many benefits of all-electric
and plug-in hybrid cars. This year’s celebration
is from Sept. 26 to Oct. 4. If you have any EV
questions, email dme@cityofdenton.com or call
(940) 205-0081. For additional information, visit
www.driveelectricweek.org.
Although it feels like the summer heat might last
forever, it’s time to start thinking about those fall
gardens! Here are some things to keep in mind
when planning for a successful harvest.
First, consider what you’d like to plant in your fall
vegetable gardens. Everything from asparagus to
turnips are recommended for Texas fall gardens.
Keep in mind that vegetable crops should have at
least 8 hours of direct sunlight each day. Be sure to
plant where the soil drains well. If you’re using the
same area as you did for spring planting, pull out
the remains of your spring garden. This will
prevent any residual weeds from popping up in
your new garden.
Use a nutrient-rich compost like Dyno Dirt or a
blend like Dyno Soil to improve the existing soil.
Dyno Dirt is ideal for flower and vegetable gardens,
and trees and shrubs. Dyno Dirt is a superior-quality
compost that is carefully processed to maintain
excellent soil building attributes and a remarkable
abundance of beneficial microorganisms. For best
results, mix one to two inches of Dyno Dirt with the
top six to eight inches of existing soil.
In order for plants to thrive in your yard, they need
the right amount of nutrients in the soil. The best
way to know what nutrients your soil is missing is to
test it. You can obtain a soil testing kit online or
from a local hardware store. Once you understand
what soil amendments you need, you can begin to
address these gaps through products like fertilizer
or compost. Find out what Dyno Dirt products will
work best for your garden by calling us at
(940) 349-8290 or sending us an email at
DynoDirt@cityofdenton.com. To see a list of our
products, visit www.cityofdenton.com/dyno.
Fall Vegetable Gardening
with Dyno Dirt
1 cubic ft
bags of Dyno
Dirt are now
available
for $4
A publication of the City of Denton Department of Public Affairs
ADA/EOE/ADEA • TDD (800) 735-2989 • www.cityofdenton.com
4 Tips to Conserve
Water Outdoors
This spring, more than 2,200 Dentonites registered
to join Keep Denton Beautiful (KDB)’s 32nd Annual
Great American Cleanup (GAC) to help improve
the beauty and environmental health of our
community. After cancelling the event this March
due to COVID-19, Denton’s largest and longest-
running litter cleanup has been reimagined from a
one-day effort into a month long event.
Cleanups will be organized similarly to KDB’s
Meetup Cleanup program with cleanups scheduled
between Sept. 12 to Oct. 11. Cleanup locations
will be assigned citywide, but unlike prior years,
volunteers will not be matched to work with
other individuals or households. GAC will serve as
Denton’s sole fall cleanup this year.* Volunteers
of all ages and experience levels are welcome
to participate and may register Sept. 1 to Oct. 7.
Register online at www.kdb.org or by phone at
(940) 349-8737.
Free cleanup supplies,
including trash and
recycling bags,
litter grabbers, and
vinyl gloves, will be
available to registered
volunteers via
scheduled curbside
pick-up. Registered
volunteers will receive
a special edition 2020
GAC T-shirt (while
supplies last). If you
plan on participating,
register early to
secure your T-shirt!
Due to current gathering restrictions, the Volunteer
Appreciation Party will not take place this year.
Prizes will be awarded for most bags collected,
oddest item found, and best cleanup photo,
decided by public vote on the GAC Facebook
event page. Community members are encouraged
to vote online for their favorites beginning Oct. 7.
The Great American Cleanup is part of an annual,
nationwide litter cleanup effort led by Keep
America Beautiful, and Denton is one of more than
20,000 communities that participate. The GAC is
made possible through community contributions
and sponsorships, including generous support
from the City of Denton (Watershed Protection,
Parks & Recreation Department, Solid Waste &
Recycling Department); the Denton Record-
Chronicle; Pan Ector Industries; Keep America
Beautiful; and Keep Texas Beautiful.
*The annual Stream Clean event, which utilizes
large groups of volunteers at waterway sites across
Denton each fall, has been cancelled to protect
the health and safety of volunteers.
KDB Reimagines Great
American Cleanup –
Rescheduled to Fall 2020
The City of Denton uses the CodeRED System, a
high-speed telephone communications service, for
emergency notifications. The system is only used to
alert recipients of emergency situations, but you can
also opt in to receive weather warnings issued by
the National Weather Service. To receive the proper
notices, you must have your current Denton address
in the system. Visit www.cityofdenton.com/codered
to learn more or to register for alerts.