FY 2012 Popular Annual Financial Report FY 2012 Popular Annual Financial Report | Page 10

Neighborhoods

T

he City of Arlington improved
the quality of life for its residents
in a variety of ways in FY 2012.

Community Assistance
The Ride 2 Work program, which
helps transport residents to and from
their jobs, received additional funding
from a variety of sources. Additional
funding was needed, as 86 percent of
riders live in households below the
federal poverty level.
The City also began a Homebuyers
Assistance Program that offered nointerest, deferred loans for qualified
first-time buyers with modest incomes.
The Arlington Home Improvement
Incentive Program was implemented
this year. It provides financial incentives
to residential property owners making
at least $20,000 in improvements to
their property. Property owners receive
a one-time rebate equal to ten times
the amount of increase in their City
property tax after the improvements
have been completed.

Cultural, Recreational, and Learning
Opportunities
Enhance, Preserve Neighborhoods;
Safe Anywhere all the time
Coordinate Programs to Support
Youth, Seniors, Families
10

Focus on Priorities

Literacy Initiatives
AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers
in Service to America), dedicated to
fighting poverty and illiteracy, facilitated
the Reading Corps program, which is
designed to enhance the reading and
writing skills of pre-kindergarteners
through third graders with the goal of
having all children reading at grade
level by the end of third grade.
Wanting to encourage reading from
birth, the City teamed up with Texas
Health Arlington Memorial Hospital
to provide all infants with a My First
Library Card Pack that included a
board book, bag, library card and a
variety of handouts.
Other library initiatives included:
• The installation of an eAudiobook
kiosk at Elzie Odom Athletic Center.

• Joining forces with Mansfield to offer
a shared online catalog and access to
a larger collection.
• Renovating the Central and Lake
Arlington Libraries.
Outdoors
Arlington hosted its first juried
arts festival, Art on the Greene, which
took place amongst the Caelum
Moor sculptures at Richard Greene
Linear Park in the heart of the City’s
Entertainment District. The festival,
organized by Arlington resident Steve
Moya, featured more than 70 artists,
live music and local food.
Besides a new festival, Arlington
also celebrated Allen Bolden Pool’s
25th anniversary with a throwback
admission price, ’80s trivia contest, food
specials and other fun activities. Bolden
family members and past aquatic
employees joined the merriment.
Another thing to celebrate
was Tierra Verde Golf Club’s
use of cooking oil to propel its 13
lawnmowers. Not only does using the
biodiesel reduce the club’s carbon
footprint, but it also provided an
estimated $1,500 in savings for the year.
Other notable events:
• The City was one of 13 U.S. cities
to host the U.S. Open National