News

Got a hole in that favorite pair of jeans? The City of Amarillo (COA) Repair Café may be able to save this valued piece of your wardrobe, among other cherished household items. Jeans are one of the many items that can be repaired at the (COA) Repair Cafe – a free repair service for all kinds of everyday items, from lamps to computers to clothes. “Repair Café is a lot of fun – seeing people bring in items that can be repaired and fixed to work as good as new,” said COA Senior Services Coordinator for the Parks and Recreation Department Kari Bachman. “Don’t throw away a household item that isn’t working properly. Bring it to Repair Café and let’s see if we can give it new life – and at the same time share repair skills with the entire community.” The Repair Cafe is set for Saturday (September 20) from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Warford Activity Center, 1330 N.W. 18th Ave. Repair Cafe features volunteer fixers and participants can learn simple repair skills. What to bring: Each family is welcome to bring one item for repair. If time allows, additional items may be accommodated. Participants must stay with their items during the repair process – this is a hands-on experience to learn alongside volunteer fixers. Fixable items include dull kitchen knives, clothing/textiles, bicycles, household appliances under 40 pounds, wooden furniture under 40 pounds and computers/electronics under 40 pounds. Registration is not required. For more information contact Kari Bachman at (806) 678-8359.

The North Heights Water Main Replacement Project (NHWMRP) moves into new locations beginning Monday (September 15). The new locations are alleyways between N.W. 10th Ave. and N.W. 11th Ave. and between N.W. 12th Ave. and N.W. 13th Ave. Impacted alleyways extend from North Travis Street to North Ong Street. The following alleyways are under various stages of the NHWMRP: For more details on locations and the NHWMRP, please visit the project website at: www.amarillo.gov/capital-projects-and-development/water-utilities-projects/ The project, awarded earlier this summer, will replace existing two-inch water mains with new six-inch water mains in select locations to improve water service in the North Heights area. The majority of the work is occurring in alleyways and street crossings. In preparation, the City of Amarillo Solid Waste Department is relocating dumpsters in affected alleys. The project will affect traffic around the construction area. The contractor will minimize impact to the public as much as possible. Motorists are advised to please heed all traffic signs in the area. For more information contact City of Amarillo Media Relations Manager Dave Henry at 806-378-5219 or by email at david.henry@amarillo.gov.

Amarillo City Council has scheduled a special meeting Tuesday (September 16) for a second and final reading of an ordinance adopting the City of Amarillo budget for the 2025/2026 fiscal year and an ordinance for the City of Amarillo tax rate. The special meeting will be at 3 p.m. in council chambers in Room 3400 of city hall. The public is welcome to participate in public hearings for the 2025/2026 budget and tax rate. To see the special meeting agenda, go to: https://amarillotx.portal.civicclerk.com/event/2759/files/agenda/5506 To see information regarding the 2025/2026 budget and tax rate, go to the Public Notices option at: www.amarillo.gov/ The special meeting will be broadcast online at: www.amarillo.gov/view-city-council-meetings/ For more information contact City of Amarillo Media Relations Manager Dave Henry at (806) 378-5219 or by email at David.Henry@amarillo.gov.

Those who want to help serve the Amarillo community can apply for a position on a City of Amarillo (COA) board/commission. The city has more than 25 boards/commissions with 65 open positions. Important dates: October 9: Applications close. October 15: Application packets presented to city council. November 18 and December 9: Applicants appointed to boards/commissions by city council. For a list of COA boards/commissions and qualifications to serve go to: To apply for a COA board/commission, go to: amarillo.granicus.com/boards/forms/515/apply/4546704?code=4cb5c331-c4da-4129-973c-0732e9d4aa8b

Bo Fowlkes was an Event Supervisor at the Amarillo Civic Center in 2005 when civic center staff received a call unlike any in the past. This was not about a band or celebrity appearing at the civic center and needing special accommodations. This was not an organization wanting to book a date for a convention. This was about transforming the Amarillo Civic Center Complex (ACCC) into a shelter for hurricane evacuees. “That is call you do not forget,” said Fowlkes, now general manager for the ACCC. Twenty years ago last month, Hurricane Katrina had just struck Louisiana. It was one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history. Thousands lost their lives and countless more lost their homes to the ravaging floods. Enter the City of Amarillo and the entire Amarillo community, which responded as Amarillo does during such times. “We received calls from city officials that Amarillo was going to stand up as an emergency evacuation shelter for evacuees from Hurricane Katrina,” Fowlkes said. “Evidently, the state of Texas was reaching out statewide and scouting locations that could take plane loads of evacuees.” The entire Amarillo community sprung into action, turning a good chunk of the ACCC into an emergency shelter, with food, temporary living quarters and medical treatment. Evacuees were housed in the ACCC North and South Exhibit halls, the Heritage Room and the Regency Room. “We had quiet areas in one place, medical needs, registration and meals in other rooms,” Fowlkes said. “It was really amazing. We were getting donations from restaurants all over town. We received water, wheelchairs, walkers, crutches – you name it. We were prepared for just about anything. It was a citywide effort.” Amarillo received about 150 evacuees the first night. “We got them situated and fed. It was a 24-hour-a-day operation for