City Facilities Closing Early on Feb. 23 and Closed Feb. 24 Due to Inclement Weather Public Safety and Other Essential City Services to Continue
DENTON, TX, Feb 23, 2022 –Due to inclement weather conditions, City facilities will close at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 23 and remain closed on Thursday, Feb. 24. They are tentatively scheduled to reopen on Friday, Feb. 25 unless noted otherwise below. All essential staff, including Police, Fire, Denton Municipal Electric (DME), Public Works, and Utilities, will remain on duty. Remote services, such as utility billing and Municipal Court services, will continue for most City departments. The Planning & Zoning meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 23 is also cancelled, those items scheduled for this meeting will be rescheduled for a future meeting.
Exceptions to these closures will be the Emily Fowler Library and the MLK Jr. Rec Center, which will operate as a daytime warming station and 24-hour emergency shelter, respectively. Additionally, Recreation Centers will stay open today until the conclusion of after-school programs.
Please note the following with respect to specific City of Denton services and facilities. Visit www.cityofdenton.com/winterweather for the latest information regarding service changes and facility updates.
Parks and Recreation
MLK Jr. Rec Center (1300 Wilson St.) will open as a 24-hour emergency shelter at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 23 and will remain open through noon on Friday, Feb. 25. The MLK Jr. emergency shelter will have restrooms, seating, water, pre-packaged snack food, and basic sanitary items available. COVID-19 precautions will be in place, with hand sanitizer and face coverings provided for use. As a 24-hour emergency shelter, the facility will provide cots for anyone needing to remain at the shelter overnight and will accept any animals that accompany their owners; however, they may need to remain in a City-provided kennel within the facility.
All other Recreation Centers and Facilities will be closed to focus staff resources on the emergency shelter.
Libraries
Emily Fowler Central Library (502 Oakland St.) will remain open and serve as a warming station during regular business hours from Feb. 23-25. Library hours are as follows: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
South Branch Library and North Branch Library will be closed to focus staff resources on the warming shelter.
Solid Waste and Recycling
Residential trash and recycling collection may not be completed on Wednesday, Feb. 23. Please leave any full Wednesday carts on the curb through Thursday to allow them to be emptied. The remainder of that collection will be collected on Thursday, Feb. 24. Thursday’s residential collection will move forward by one day to Friday, Feb. 25. Next week’s collection should not be impacted.
Animal Services
The Linda McNatt Animal Care and Adoption Center will be closed on Thursday, Feb. 24. To report an animal non-emergency, call (940) 349-8181 and select option 8. In case of an emergency, call 911.
Public Safety
Public safety personnel will remain on duty. The Denton Police Department non-emergency number is (940) 349-8181, and in case of an emergency, call 911.
Central Fire Station (322 E. Hickory St.) will be available as a warming station Mon.-Fri. from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. All other fire stations are available for restrooms, hand washing, and water fountain access only daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Utilities
Utilities customers can pay online, by phone, by mail, and by drop box. To pay your bill or speak with a Customer Service representative, customers should call (940) 349-8700. Please visit www.cityofdenton.com/paymybill to pay online.
To report a utility service emergency or power outage, call (940) 349-7000. The DME outage map can be viewed at www.dmepower.com.
Municipal Court
To speak with a Court Clerk, call (940) 349-8331. Payments can be made online and by mail. For forms, payment options, and other information, visit www.cityofdenton.com/court.
Airport
Denton Enterprise Airport administrative offices will be closed on Thursday, Feb. 24. The air traffic control tower will be open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and the airfield will remain open 24 hours per day. Airport Operations is available 24/7 at (940) 349-7722.
Visit www.cityofdenton.com/winterweather for the latest information regarding service changes and facility updates.
Contact: Stuart Birdseye, (940) 349-8009, [email protected]
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