Keep Your Pet's Paws Safe!

Avoid hot surfaces during summer months to prevent burnt paw pads.

Don't forget concrete, asphalt, metal and other outdoor surfaces get very hot during the summer. To tell if the outdoor surface is too hot for your dog's paws by pressing the back of your hand to the pavement for seven seconds. If it is too hot for your h...

Plan To Attend Clear The Shelters

We are joining more than 60 shelters across North Texas with the support of NBC 5 and Telemundo 39 in the Clear the Shelters event again.

Pet adoption fees are waived during this one day event. All pets will be sterilized, vaccinated and microchipped. Feel free to drop by a few days early to meet the pets in a less busy atmosphere to narrow down your favorites. We look forward to sharing th...

7 Days a Week to Find or Adopt a Friend

You asked for it and you got it. The Plano Animal Shelter is now open seven days a week!

That means more opportunity to retrieve a lost pet, to bring in a found pet, to register a pet and, most importantly, to adopt a new pet.

The new operational hours are:

• Monday-Friday: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Saturday-Sunday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Learn about all our Shelter s...

Battling the Buzz this Summer

Summer is almost here which means, so is mosquito season. The City of Plano Environmental Health and Sustainability (EHS) team has already begun taking proactive measures to protect Plano residents from mosquitoes.The City sets mosquito traps every week t...

Preparation and Sale of Homemade Foods

Have you ever wondered what you might be able to make at home and sell? The City of Plano Environmental Health Division has received several inquiries recently and would like to clarify the rules around homemade foods. The Texas Cottage Food Law does allo...

Plano Firefighters' MDA Fill the Boot Collection Hits City Record

Plano firefighters surpassed last year’s record collections by more than $12,000 during their Fill the Boot campaign for the Muscular Dystrophy Association last month.

At today’s Fill the Boot check presentation, Plano Firefighters Local 2149 Vice President Wesley Holland presented the MDA with a check for $215,000, the amount surpassing last year’s collection of $202,000. Plano firefighters collecte...

Plano Firefighter Recognized for Work Teaching Fire Safety and Injury Prevention through Clowning

Back in 1996 Plano Fire-Rescue started a new program that used firefighters in character as clowns to teach children important fire safety and injury prevention messages. Firefighter Calvin Cook was interested in joining the clown program but was told tha...

Certificates of Appropriateness Activity

The approval of seven Certificates of Certificates of Appropriateness (CAs) occurred between August and November, with two approvals by the Heritage Commission and five approvals by staff.

• The Heritage Commission Approved two CAs, which included:
  • Exterior m...

Friends Annual Book Sale

The Friends of the Plano Public Library 35th Annual Book Sale is August 3-5 at the Plano Event Center. There will be nearly 100,000 gently used items for sale; most priced $2 or less.

Items for sale include hardbacks, paperbacks, CDs, DVDs, records, and audiobooks. Friends’ members get 10% off all book sale purchases.

You can help support the Plano libraries by shopping at the book sale and by joining Friends of the Plano Publ...

2018 Summer Programs and Classes at the Library

Plano Public Library is your place for summer learning. Visit us, spark your curiosity and plan how you’re going to expand your mind this summer. We have something for everyone.

• Thinking Money, a national initiative, geared at helping people become financially independent continues with programs at all five libraries
• The 18st AIRSpace will host three artists this summer. You can learn watercolor, create hand-painted sketchbooks an...

Who Can I Call?

Summer Promotion for the Pop-Up Party Trailer

Summer time, fun time! From June through August the Pop-Up Party Trailer is offering a Summer promotion to any registered HOA, Neighborhood Association, or Crime Watch group that reserves the Trailer during these months! Enjoy FREE Koozies, fans, and beac...

Plano City News: Come Along Waze!

Let Waze be your real-time guide to Plano street construction, get assistance with minor emergency home repairs and sign up for a library card online in this edition of Plano City News.

Plano City News is distributed every Tuesday to 3,800 subscribers by the City of Plano Marketing and Community Engagement Department. To receive a copy directly in your inbox, please subscribe. Thank you for your readership!

Annual Hydrant Flushing Underway in Some Areas in Plano

At times, the City of Plano undergoes hydrant flushing efforts. While citizens often find flushing a confusing sight, it is a very common and necessary practice to ensure safe and healthy water for customers, especially during hot summer months.

Flushing hydrants is effective in that it allows the City of Plano to address specific areas of the system where problems are occurring. The North Texas Municipal Water District adds chloramines, a combination of chlorine and ammonia to the water supply a...

Plano City Council Reviews, Approves Proposal to Build 4-Star Radisson Hotel

The Plano Event Center could have a new 4-star neighbor by the spring of 2020, adding a key partner to the popular meeting and events venue.

At their June 25 meeting, the Plano City Council authorized the City Manager to enter into a lease agreement with Tirgo, LLC for approximately 5 acres of land adjacent to Plano Event Center for the purpose of building a Radisson Hotel. The convention cent...

Haggard Family Acquires Collinwood House to Incorporate Into Future Development

Plano City Council members at a June 25 preliminary open meeting approved funding to assist in the relocation of Collinwood House after receiving a proposal to acquire the home by the Haggard family.

The move includes relocation of the 150-year-old house—located on the future site of Windhaven Meadows Park—as well as its chicken coop, pole barn and wooden fencing. The move is expected to take place within 90 days.

July Planning & Zoning Meeting Changes Ahead

The Monday, July 2 Planning & Zoning Commission meeting moves to Plano Event Center, 2000 E. Spring Creek Pkwy. Instead of the second meeting being July 16, it's Tuesday, July 24 and back at Plano Municipal Center. Both meetings begin at 7 p.m.

Collin County Honors Planoite Russell Steindam

In early June, the Collin County Courthouse was renamed the Russell A. Steindam Courts Building. Discover Steindam's connection to Plano and learn why he's being honored.

It was a unanimous vote for Collin County to be renamed. 

Who's Watching Your Kids Around Water?

Two inches of water and less than five minutes out of sight can be a deadly combination for a small child near water. Keep your children safe, designate a "Water Watcher."

Gathering near a lake or pool with children this summer? Plano Fire-Rescue (PFR) wants to make your water fun a lot safer by mailing you a Water Watcher Tag. When a responsible adult wears the Water Watcher Tag, they are on duty and cannot leave the area ...

Map Out Your Summer with Pinterest

Don't be pinned in; unleash your creative side with the new City of Plano Pinterest page!

Explore local activities, find health and safety tips and discover furry friends. It's a visual utopia of Plano's finest features, including library fun, dog adventures and perfect park spots. Plan your days in Plano on Pinterest!

Does Your Dog Have Game?

Share photos of your pup enjoying pet-friendly activities throughout Plano for a chance to win great prizes. It's all part of Visit Plano's newest contest to honor those who travel with pets.

On Wednesday, July 11, three lucky winners will be selected to receive vacation packages. Upload your images to Visit Plano's Pet-Friendly webpage to be entered.

The celebration wraps up on National Dog Day, Sunday, Aug. 26, with a dog-friendly event at He...

Nominate & Celebrate the Environmental Community Awards

Do you know someone encouraging environmental education in our city? Environmental Community Awards applications are currently being accepted to recognize individuals, businesses, schools and non-profits for environmental leadership and achievement.

Applicants can be self-nominated or nominated by others. The projects, programs and services must have occurred between May 2017 and May 2018. Awards will be presented in September during the annual Environmental Community Awards Celebration. Don't delay;...

Battling the Buzz this Summer

Summer is almost here which means, so is mosquito season. Learn what the City is doing and what you can battle the buzz.

Summer is almost here which means, so is mosquito season. The City of Plano Environmental Health and Sustainability (EHS) team has already begun taking proactive measures to protect Plano residents from mosquitoes.The City sets mosquito traps every week t...

Summer swimming roundup - your guide to Plano’s pools

Summer is just around the corner, and here at Plano Parks and Recreation we can already smell the sunscreen.

Our staff has been working hard to get our outdoor pools ready for another safe and fun summer starting Memorial Day weekend, May 26. Saturday and Sunday hours vary by pool and all will be open on Monday, May 28 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Summer daily hours st...

7 Days a Week to Find or Adopt a Friend

You asked for it and you got it. The Plano Animal Shelter is now open seven days a week!

That means more opportunity to retrieve a lost pet, to bring in a found pet, to register a pet and, most importantly, to adopt a new pet.

The new operational hours are:

• Monday-Friday: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Saturday-Sunday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Learn about all our Shelter s...

Plano Senior Recreation Center Closes March 1 for Renovations

Attempts to keep the Plano Senior Recreation Center open during the expansion have met with unexpected challenges. Due to safety concerns, the facility will close March 1, 2018 until the project is complete.

For up-to-date information on the relocation of classes and daily drop-in activities, please contact the Plano Senior Recreation Center at 972-941-7155.

In addition, the Wellness Center for Older Adults will also relocate its operations during this time. W...

Season for snakes: What to know while visiting Plano’s parks and trails

The natural areas of Plano’s parks are home to a wide variety of wildlife, from birds and bobcats to reptiles and raccoons. They are also home to seemingly less savory animals, such as snakes and spiders. This time of year is when we usually see...

Got a question about trees? Ask An Urban Forester!

Ask our Urban Forester, Angie Kralik, any tree related questions.

Urban Forestry is the careful care and management of tree populations in urban settings for the purpose of improving the urban environment. Urban forestry advocates the role of trees as a critical part of the urban infrastructure. Urban foresters plant an...

Community Invited to Discover Everything Parks and Recreation During July Parks and Recreation Month

Month-long celebration highlights undiscovered roles of local parks and recreation

July is Parks and Recreation Month and Plano Parks and Recreation wants the community to explore the “undiscovered” roles of Plano Parks and Recreation.

An initiative of the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), Parks and Rec...

Median Tree Replacement Project

The City of Plano’s Parks and Recreation Department, under its Urban Forestry program, is replacing trees in medians across Plano over the next several months.

This is due to the serious decline in health and safety to the trees in the medians and to provide a healthy urban forest for Plano residents.

The three locations are:

• Park Boulevard from Avenue P to Avenue R and Peachtree Lane to Shiloh Road
• Coit Road from ...

Summer swimming roundup - your guide to Plano’s pools

Summer is just around the corner, and here at Plano Parks and Recreation we can already smell the sunscreen.

Our staff has been working hard to get our outdoor pools ready for another safe and fun summer starting Memorial Day weekend, May 26. Saturday and Sunday hours vary by pool and all will be open on Monday, May 28 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Summer daily hours st...

Sharing nature with Mother Nature: How to take to trails and parks safely this summer

It’s that time of year again—the mercury is rising and the mosquitos, chiggers and ticks are out in full force this summer.

While all three of these can be found along our trails and in our parks (particularly in tall grass and wooded areas), this does not have to be a deterrent for local nature lovers!

The City of Plano’s Environmental Health and Sustainability (EHS)...

Paddling approved at Big Lake Park

Looking for a fun nature escape right here in Plano? Grab your watercraft and head to Big Lake Park (3800 Rainier Road), where kayakers, canoers and paddle boarders can now take to the park’s namesake waterway.

Big Lake Park is the second location in Plano that’s been opened up to paddlers, something Park Planning Manager Renee Jordan said is by design. The department opened the lake at Oak Point Park & Nature Preserve up to paddlers last summer an...

Aquatic fitness at Plano’s Rec centers provides fun path to holistic health

Plano resident Woody Lusk was burnt out on the gym scene when he heard about the new Aquatic Boot Camp (ABC) being offered at Tom Muehlenbeck Recreation Center. Although he had never taken an aquatics class, the avid scuba diver decided to give it a try.

Two years later, and he and several others who started the class together are still there for the camaraderie and, most of all, the results.

“When I saw this program, I thought, ‘this may be what I’m looking for.’ Tu...

Plano Parks and Recreation Marks “50 Years of Fun” With Yearlong Celebration in 2018

In 1968, Plano’s newly formed Parks and Recreation Department consisted of one director, two part-time employees, and 42 acres of farmland.  Today, this award-winning system boasts thousands of miles of park land, miles of trails, and b...

Plano Senior Recreation Center Closed for Renovations

Attempts to keep the Plano Senior Recreation Center open during the expansion have met with unexpected challenges. Due to safety concerns, the facility closed March 1, 2018 and will remain closed until the project is complete.

For up-to-date information on the relocation of classes and daily drop-in activities, please contact the Plano Senior Recreation Center at 972-941-7155. Trips will continue but will now depart from the Oak Point Park Nature & Retreat Center. The Welln...

High Point Tennis Center Renovation Contract Awarded

The Tennis Center Renovation design contract with JBI Partners, Inc. was awarded at the July 24 Plano City Council meeting. Over the next several months the contract documents will be executed, and the design development phase will begin. In the design de...

Carpenter Park Renovations

Renovations to the south side of Carpenter Park are underway.

Renovations to the south side of Carpenter Park are underway. As part of the renovations, a number of existing trees will be removed and replaced with 62 new, 4-inch caliper trees in their place.

These exciting new park updates include a complete renovatio...

LGIP Volunteers: Keeping it Green in Plano

Each month individuals, clubs, organizations and businesses donate their time and talents to making Plano cleaner, greener and healthier.

While the benefits to the community are valuable, the volunteers also benefit by feeling needed and productive, learning new skills and making new friends, having fun and sometimes earning volunteer hours for school. The Live Green in Plano (LGIP...

DFW Clean Cities Recognizes Plano in Fuel Efficiency

The City of Plano has been recognized as a leader in fuel efficiency and awarded a bronze rating by the DFW Clean Cities Coalition for its work in embracing alternatives to traditional gasoline.

The gold, silver and bronze winners contributed to a combined reduction of more than 25 million gallons of gasoline in 2016, which represented the largest savings on record.Plano operates a large fleet of vehicles for a wide variety of purposes. Residents...

Plano's Sustainability Division Receives Award for Excellence in Strategic Collaboration

The Sustainability Division recently received an award for Excellence in Strategic Collaboration at the WaterSense Awards on October 5. This award was for the efforts in creating and cultivating partnerships that have impactful results on water savings.

The City of Plano, Texas, collaborated with utilities, councils, businesses and other WaterSense partners to emphasize the value of WaterSense to residents, especially related to outdoor water efficiency. The City worked with Rachio, a WaterSense partner,...

VIP presents "Plano Volunteer Management Conference"

Save the date for VIP's Live Stream Hybrid Conference Event, "Leading the Way, Not Managing the Day!" 

This interactive live-stream event will bring area volunteer managers together to discuss how we are leading our volunteers for succes...

VIP Connection - Spring 2018

This spring brought many milestones to the VIP program. Read more.

VPay Employees Volunteer at Plano Animal Shelter

Employees from Plano-based VPay spent two Fridays in March volunteering at Plano Animal Services. Volunteering as a group with Plano Animal Services provides valuable resources for our community and helps those precious pets get one step closer to home. V...

Volunteers Wanted for Plano CARES

Looking for a volunteer opportunity? Plano Code Abatement by Residents Engaged in Service (CARES) connects local volunteers to residents in need of assistance with common property code violations. Project work days are scheduled for the 2nd Saturday of ev...

Toyota Teams with VIP for National Public Lands Day

Volunteers in Plano brought Toyota USA and National Environmental Education Foundation to celebrate National Public Lands Day in Plano, Texas! These partnerships are paramount in impacting our community. Thank you to Kym Hughes and the staff of Oak Point ...

ESL Teachers Needed

Harrington Library is looking for volunteer ESL teachers. Training is free and materials are provided. For more information, contact Julie Brown, ESL Program Director at juliebrown@lift-texas.org or call 214-824-2000 ext. 3218

In Memory of Russ Kissick

We are saddened by the passing of Russ Kissick. Russ was one of three Co-Founders and ongoing Co-Director of The Plano Conservancy for Historic Preservation, Inc., the non-profit organization that has served as manager of the Interurban Railway Museum sin...

Bank of America Volunteers Become Super Sorters

Thank you to the team of 14 Bank of America employees for giving an afternoon of service to Haggard Library. Employees from India and several different states joined together to help sort donations and package items for the annual fundraising books sale. ...

United Healthcare Employees Volunteer at Parr Library

Thank you to United Healthcare employees for lending a hand at Parr Library. Staff enjoyed a morning of service by cleaning and organizing children’s books for the library. Children’s book are frequently checked out and at the end of e...

Bank of America Rolls Up Their Sleeves

On Friday, September 30 six employees from one of Plano's Bank of America locations chose the Plano Animal Shelter for their volunteer day. Employees were excited to lend a hand in the kennels, help with laundry, wash many dog bowls and spend time togethe...Read on...

Hyundai Capital Lends A Hand

On Saturday, September 24th seven employees from Plano's Hyundai Capital office spent their morning volunteering at the Animal Shelter. Creating a team building event around service to the community is a great way to build comradery and motivate staff to ...

Capgemini Serve Plano

On Friday, September 23 staff from Capgemini selected the Plano Community Garden and the Animal Shelter for their service day. Staff members rolled up their sleeves helped provide maintenance of the garden, weeding, turning compost piles, laying mulch and...Read on...

Capital One, A Dog's Best Friend

On Friday, August 19 employees from Capital One spent the day volunteering at the Plano Animal Shelter. Corporate volunteers play a vital role in helping advocate for the shelter after they spend a day in the life of shelter staff. Groups are all smiles a...Read on...

Cambria Hotel & Suites Supports Animal Shelter

On Friday, September 9th staff from Cambria Hotel & Suites Plano rolled up their sleeves and spent the day volunteering at the Plano Animal Shelter. 9 Cambria employees enjoyed a day of service helping the shelter maintain a clean facility, provide se...Read on...

Frisco Roughriders lend a hand at Animal Shelter

On Sunday, August 21 staff from the Frisco Roughriders donated a morning of service to the Plano Animal Shelter. They spent time helping with cleaning and maintenance of the facility which improves the customer experience and provides a safe environment f...Read on...

Bank of America Volunteers Plant Seedlings for Parks Department

A big thank you goes out to the 10 Bank of America volunteers who planted 100 trees in the Russell Creek greenbelt for the Plano Parks Department.

Courtyard Texas Music Series: Jim Lauderdale - August 2

Jim Lauderdale brings his classic country stylings to the Courtyard Texas Music Series!

Jim Lauderdale is both a "songwriter's songwriter," who's written/co-written many modern classics for iconic artists, as well as an intuitive sideman, who's enhanced the music of a bevy of esteemed musicians. As a solo artist, since 1986 up unti...

Courtyard Texas Music Series: The Statesboro Revue - September 6

Well-worn and polished. Old-school, classic country style brought to you by The Statesboro Revue.

The Statesboro Revue goes back to 2008, but the evolving vision of front man and primary songwriter Stewart Mann goes back much further. It’s a journey down many roads from Texas to Tennessee to California and back, all in a search for that perf...

Courtyard Texas Music Series: Shane Smith & The Saints - October 4

Shane Smith & The Saints rock the house at Courtyard Theater!

Play  just  the  first  10  seconds  of  "The  Mountain,"  which  opens  Geronimo,  the  latest  and  most &am...

Courtyard Texas Music Series: Roger Creager - November 1

Texas Country legend Roger Creager closes out the 7th season of the Courtyard Texas Music Series.

Roger Creager is an adventurist; he does not like to sit still while the world passes by. Whether it’s climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, jumping off his boat to snorkel with wild dolphins, snow skiing in the Rockies, catching tuna 100 miles ...