FY 2012 Popular Annual Financial Report FY 2012 Popular Annual Financial Report | Page 13

championship that featured things to
do in the City, transportation options,
event parking and traffic information.
After the baseball season
concluded, the Rangers spent $12
million to renovate Rangers Ballpark
in Arlington, including an overhaul
of Vandergriff Plaza in the outfield.
To enhance fans’ experience, the club
added an indoor restaurant and sports
bar, created an indoor dining club
available for rental and moved the
Kids’ Zone into an air-conditioned
space. The Rangers expect the
renovations to bring incremental tax
revenue and make the Entertainment
District even more appealing.
The City also renovated the
Arlington Convention Center, using a
portion of the funding from the federal
Energy Efficiency and Conservation
Block Grants program. Staff replaced
465 incandescent bulbs with LED lights
to reduce energy costs and reduce fossil
fuel usage.
To support private sector
development for the next 20 years at
the Arlington Municipal Airport, the
City used a $6.4-million federal grant
to expand the west taxiway to 75 feet
wide. The expansion gives the airport
the ability to use it as an alternative
runway, allowing uninterrupted
services. Helicopter company
AgustaWestland also invested $3.5
million to renovate an existing hangar/
office building on the east side and

construct an adjacent 7,000-square-foot
office building.
Arlington also opened the door
for future investment opportunities
when it hosted the opening ceremonies
of a nine-day U.S.-China Investment
Summit at Cowboys Stadium. Mayor

Robert Cluck and City Manager Trey
Yelverton spoke to the more than
50 investors, showcasing Arlington’s
corporate partnerships and highlighting
local examples of innovation and
opportunities for outside investment.
To ensure that the City continues
to be an attractive place to do business,
the City, Keep Arlington Beautiful,
Southwest Arlington Geocachers and
Republic Services teamed up to remove
litter in Great Southwest Industrial
Park. A team of 110 volunteers
collected 180 bags of trash and 30 tires
that had accumulated along Avenue F
over the years.
The Start of Something Special
Viridian, the $2-billion mixed-use,
sustainable development, continued
making progress with the start of its first

phase – construction of 500 houses.
To service the new homes, a
temporary fire station, No. 17, opened
officially in April. The 3,691-square
foot building will serve the neighborhood until more homes are built.
New Beginnings and Honoring a
Unique Relationship
Arlington’s first Christkindl
Market, an old world German holiday
fair, attracted visitors from all over
the Metroplex in 2011, with about
5,000 people showing up for the
opening ceremonies. The free fourday event featured 50-plus booths
selling authentic German cuisine,
entertainment and crafts.
Two thousand eleven was an
appropriate year to host the inaugural
market, as Arlington celebrated its
60th anniversary with its German
sister city Bad Königshofen. To
further commemorate the most
enduring American-German sister c