March 24, 2024

City of Garland Welcomes Managing Director of Legislative & Public Affairs

Ariel Traub joined the City of Garland as Managing Director of Legislative & Public Affairs on March 18. 

Traub brings a decade of government experience, including with the Texas Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, Texas Health and Human Services Commission and, most recently, with the City of Georgetown. 

Learn more.

Street Department Launches Condition Assessment

The Garland Street Department has launched a special initiative to assess the condition of the City’s 1,025 miles of streets and alleys. From now until the end of April, you may spot Roadway Asset Services vehicles driving around town. These vans are equipped with data collection tools and digital cameras to document the condition of all our roads.

The data collected will help establish the current state of the street network and will serve as a crucial resource for the City Council and City staff in formulating a comprehensive, long-term strategy for prioritizing repairs and rehabilitation of our streets. Learn more.

Trunk -N- Hunt at Audubon Park Wednesday, March 27

Enjoy a new spin on the traditional egg hunt from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, in the parking lot of Carter Softball Complex at Audubon Park, 550 W. Oates Road.

Children ages 12 and under can visit different themed trunks in a hunt for eggs. Games, bounce houses, vendors, food trucks, Easter Bunny selfies and other fun await!

Adulting 101 at the Library Thursday, March 28

Join us for crash courses in Adulting 101 – learning some basic life skills for being a grown-up. From 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 28, learn Easy Mug Meals at the Central Library Express, 713 Austin St.

Space is limited and a free ticket is required for the event. Tickets will be available 30 minutes before the event. Have questions? Call 972-205-2517.

The Boardr Series Comes to Garland Friday and Saturday, March 29-30

The Boardr Series, a national all-ages skateboarding contest designed to cater to skateboarders of all skill levels, rolls into Garland March 29 and 30 at Jon Comer Skatepark, 1010 W. Miller Road.

The Boardr Series boasts almost 10,000 entries since its inception in 2014. Judges evaluate tricks and runs based on difficulty, style, use of the course and trick selection. Notably, The Boardr Series played a pivotal role in bringing back vert contests to a national and international level, collaborating with skateboarding legend Tony Hawk.

The event is free for spectators and $50 per contestant, with a maximum 175 entries.

Ruthie Foster at the Plaza Theatre Friday, March 29

Presented by Garland Cultural Arts, Ruthie Foster will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, March 29, at the Plaza Theatre, 521 W. State St.

Four-time Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Ruthie Foster blends gospel, blues, jazz, folk and soul in powerfully transfiguring performances. Described by Rolling Stone as “pure magic to watch and hear,” her vocal talent was elevated in worship services at her community church. Drawing influence from legendary acts like Mavis Staples and Aretha Franklin, Foster developed a unique sound unable to be contained within a single genre. Get your tickets today!

Deadline to Register to Vote in May 4 General Election: Thursday, April 4

The City of Garland will hold a general election on Saturday, May 4, to elect City Council members for Districts 1, 2, 4 and 5 and to consider several proposed amendments to the City Charter.

Other important dates and election information are available on the Elections page at GarlandTX.gov.

Welcome to Garland Class Saturday, April 6

Whether you are new to Garland or were born and raised here, this is the class to get better acquainted with what makes Garland a great place to live!

Join us from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 6, at Garland City Hall, 200 N. Fifth St., to learn about the different services of City departments, how your taxpayer dollars are being used and how you can get involved. Come dressed in comfortable attire for an outdoor walking tour. Register online today to save your spot!

Big Art Day Saturday, April 6

Join us at the Granville Arts Center, 300 N. Fifth St., from 2 to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 6, for Big Art Day presented by the City of Garland and Garland Cultural Arts.

The Art Car Exhibit will be back and bigger than before with brand new cars you must see to believe. There will also be Garland’s first-ever anime art market, an art walk through Downtown, Garland ISD's take and make craft activities, live entertainment and more!

Mark your calendars today and stay tuned for more details!

City Celebrates Completion of New Housing

In a significant advancement for local housing, the City of Garland, in partnership with the Garland Housing Finance Corporation, celebrated the completion of three new single-family homes with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 5.

These homes, designed for multigenerational living, replace a previously vacant and deteriorated church site. The modern residences feature dual primary suites, an open-concept layout and energy-efficient appliances, including an electric vehicle charging outlet. Each home spans more than 2,200 square feet of living space, offering both comfort and practicality to its inhabitants.

Learn more.

Participate in the North Texas Community Cleanup Challenge

Garland eagerly announced its participation in the North Texas Community Cleanup Challenge at the March 5 City Council meeting. 

This friendly competition among North Texas cities runs through May 31, challenging communities to pick up the most litter per resident. Together we can bring the trophy to Garland!

If you collect litter between now and May 31, record your impact using this Challenge Log! Even if you're just out for a walk and pick up some trash, it counts!

For more information, email Volunteer Coordinator Nancy Tunell at Volunteer@GarlandTX.gov.

Power Out? Call or Text GP&L

Garland Power & Light customers can report a power outage by calling 972-205-3000 or 833-403-2106. 

An outage can also be reported by text. If your cellphone number is already associated with your GP&L account, simply text OUT to 972-205-4000. Or you can text the account number (including the dash) for the location experiencing the outage. Check outage status by replying STATUS to GP&L's confirmation message.

To add or update a cellphone number on your account, here are two options: 

• Email the phone number to CustomerService@GarlandTX.gov. Please include the account number.
• Call 972-205-2671 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. 

Weekly Workouts on the Downtown Square

Each week, fitness leaders from 3Q Fitness, Into the Well Collective and WHoly Formed Yoga Studio lead different types of workouts for free on the lawn of the Downtown Square.

Join the fun Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. No experience or equipment necessary. Just bring your A game and a bottle of water! Head to VisitGarlandTX.com to see upcoming classes!

Garland In the News

Social media influencers are shining a spotlight on Garland! A recent post by Dallasites101 featured our impressive list of upcoming concerts, hailing Garland as the area’s newest music entertainment destination. BrittanyRoseBlog was also on-site for the grand opening of Smith Spot BBQ’s new brick and mortar location, 823 Main St., reviewing it as Dallas’ best barbeque.

Garland is the second-best city in Texas and sixth best in the nation in “Best Places to Save for Retirement” according to a study released by financial resource provider website MutualFund.com. Learn more.

Boards & Commissions Meetings

March 25

The Garland Plan Commission will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, March 25, at City Hall, 200 N. Fifth St. 

All upcoming Boards & Commissions meetings can be found on the Public Meetings calendar at GarlandTX.gov.

View agendas at GarlandTX.gov and be sure to click the "subscribe" button to receive notifications when meeting agendas are posted.

Dallas County Parks and Open Space Meeting

April 10

The Dallas County Parks and Open Space Program is developing a new Master Plan for the 21 preserves throughout the county. The Dallas County Open Space Plan will help guide enhancements and improvements to the county preserves over the next 10 years. Dallas County will hold a public meeting to collect feedback on the draft plan recommendation from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, at Audubon Recreation Center, 342 W. Oates Road. For more information, visit dallascounty.org/parks.