Did you get a real Christmas tree this year? Are you ready to dispose of it properly? The City of Bedford is ready to recycle your tree. From December 26 - January 12 you can drop off your tree at the Meadow Park Athletic Complex. This is a free service to you!

Please do not discard your tree in our community dumpsters. The holidays tend to bring on additional amounts of trash and all the dumpster room we can get is needed.

Our holiday office hours will be:

Wednesday, Christmas Eve - Office Closed at 3:00 pm
Thursday, Christmas Day - Office Closed

Wednesday, New Year's Eve - Office Closed at 3:00 pm
Thursday, New Year's Day - Office Closed

We hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday! Please remember if you have a maintenance emergency, please call 817-540-1131 and press 3. Our Maintenance staff will respond accordingly.

Warm Wishes,

Arbors of Central Park

Before you know it, Old Man Winter will blow some nasty weather around the Arbors of Central Park, and we want to help you prepare for the conditions. When temperatures fall below freezing:

• Keep the heat on, and don't set the temperature below 55 degrees
• Open cabinet doors to allow heat to circulate around pipes near an outer wall
• At night let cold and hot water drip from your faucets
• You should also stock up on some winter essentials such as a flash light with extra batteries, extra food, bottled water

Hopefully, the winter weather will be kind this year, but if not, perhaps this advice will keep Jack Frost from nipping at your nose.

Help out the furry four-legged friends this holiday season by participating in Santa Paws. This is a donation drive designed to assist the Bedford Animal Shelter and the animals that need that facility.

Donations can be delivered directly to our (Arbors of Central Park) front office, the Bedford Public Library, or to the Bedford Animal Shelter through the month of December. The Santa Paws list includes the following items:

• High quality cat and dog food (Science Diet, Eukanuba, ect.)
• High quality kitten and puppy food (Science Diet, Eukanuba, ect.)
• Non-clumping cat litter
• Bleach
• Dishwashing and laundry soap

There are always animals available for adoption! Just be sure to get pet restrictions and deposit information from our office prior to your adoption.

With cooler weather quickly approaching here are some quick tips for using your fireplace this winter.

Before you light the fire:

1. Check and make sure the damper is open
2. Use a screen heavy enough to stop rolling logs and big enough to cover the entire opening of the fireplace to catch flying sparks
3. Keep all combustible and flammable materials a safe distance from the fireplace opening – including holiday décor
4. Avoid wearing loose or flowing clothing
5. Be sure your smoke detector is working
6. Keep a portable fire extinguisher handy
7. Practice your home escape plan

While the fire is burning:

1. The United States Fire Administration has recommended seasoned wood only- avoid the use of greenwood, lumber, treated wood or construction scraps
2. Use only one or two small logs or one medium log that is dry and well cured
3. Be sure the fireplace screen is fully closed
4. Keep small children away
5. Keep anything that will burn at least three feet away from the fire
6. Never use paper, cardboard, plastic or other similar combustible material – this will burn rapidly, causing a flash fire
7. NEVER LEAVE THE FIRE UNATTENDED]

After the fire is out:

1. Make sure the fire is completely out before leaving home or going to bed
2. Store cooled ashes in a tightly sealed metal container
3. Do not close the damper until the fireplace has completely cooled