FY 2012 Popular Annual Financial Report FY 2012 Popular Annual Financial Report | Page 11

Playoffs Texas Sectional Qualifying
Tournament for the United States
Tennis Association.
• Arlington Tennis Center added new
tennis courts specially designed for
kids 10 and under to help them learn
the game quickly.
• The City held a photography
contest for residents that benefited
Animal Services. Residents could
enter a picture of their pet in one
of Arlington’s 90+ parks, with a $5
donation, for a chance to be in the
pet calendar.
• River Legacy Park received a
custom-designed tree house that
integrates a traditional play structure
with nature, and former President
George W. Bush took a bike ride on
one its great trails.
• Three new parks opened: Crystal
Canyon Natural Area, BC Barnes
Park and Valley View Park.
• Elzie Odom Athletic Center’s 30-foot
climbing wall received a safari and
rainforest-themed makeover and now
gives climbers a breathtaking view of
the Trinity.
• Parks held a Cache In/Trash Out
cleanup event in partnership with
Keep Arlington Beautiful, the
Southwest Arlington Geocachers and
the Water Utilities Department to
beautify part of Lake Arlington.

• One of the last large residential
developments left in Arlington began
construction of homes in FY2012.
Viridian in the north part of town
is the City’s first master planned
residential community.
On the Streets
The Fire Department continued
its program that sent light response
vehicles to emergency medical calls
instead of larger fire trucks. Using a
smaller vehicle on medical calls reduces
wear and tear on fire engines by an
estimated 12,000 miles yearly and saves

about $11,500 in fuel costs.
AFD also helped Texas Rangers
outfielder Nelson Cruz spearhead an
effort that sent three first-responder
vehicles to Las Matas Santa Cruz,
located in the Dominican Republic
province where Cruz grew up.
Arlington Police Department’s
groundbreaking use of social media
to engage and educate the public was
featured at several conferences this past
year and resulted in the receipt of the
2012 Best of Texas Award for the Most
Innovative Use of Social Media from
the Center for Digital Government. In
a