By Bill Sullivan

If you have paid a visit to the Computer Lab at Frisco Public Library over the last year or so, you probably noticed some changes.

It’s cooler. (Literally.) Quieter, too. You may even have taken note of a lot more leg room under the tables now that those space-eating, noise-making, heat-producing Central Processing Units are mostly a thing of the past. (A few remain for training purposes.)

“The lab was a very noisy place, needless to say, with 30 some-odd computers whirring along and fans running everywhere,” Library Systems Coordinator Gary Werchan says. “Now, as you can hear, that’s clearly no longer the case.

“You can barely hear a pin drop in here some days. It’s a lot more pleasant environment to work in than it was before.”

Effective November 1, the City of Frisco will move to Stage 3 drought restrictions as outlined in its Drought Contingency and Water Emergency Response Plan at the direction of the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD).

The NTMWD reports Lavon Lake could be dry by fall 2012, under worst case conditions.

During the October 17 Town Hall meeting, North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) representative Mike Rickman cautioned residents to use water wisely. Gary Hartwell, Frisco’s Director of Public Works, reiterated the importance of shutting off sprinklers.

Effective August 19, the City of Frisco is moving to Stage 2 drought restrictions in the Frisco Water Management Plan, at the direction of the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD).

Frisco’s Stage 2 water restrictions call for a 5% reduction in water use by mandating residents take the following actions:

If it’s summer in North Texas, you can usually count on two things: Searing heat and soaring utility costs.

You can mitigate the second part of that equation somewhat by following a few tips put out by the Alliance to Save Energy. Changing out filters and caulking windows may not be not the icy cold splash of water you’re craving right now, but these tweaks can save you dollars — before the dog days of August arrive to claim more cash.

According to The Nature Conservancy, we can all play a huge role in helping detect forest pests and prevent their spread by paying attention to the trees and forests around our homes and nearby natural areas while gardening, hiking and performing our other outdoor activities.

“More often than not, the presence of an invasive insect or disease that has spread to a new area of the country has been detected by a concerned member of the public,” says Faith Campbell, a senior policy representative in the Conservancy’s Forest Health Program. “If we can better educate people about these non-native pests, the chances of controlling them will dramatically increase.”

IKEA’s Frisco employees are getting an early Christmas present. The Sweden-based home furnishings company is providing a new all-terrain bicycle to each of about 12,400 co-workers at its 37 U.S. stores.

“It’s been a good year for IKEA, so what better way to celebrate our success than to thank our IKEA co-workers who made this happen,” said Mike Ward, IKEA U.S. President. “This is our way of saying ‘Thanks IKEA co-workers for being strongly committed to working together.’ We hope this bike will be taken in the spirit of the season while supporting a healthy lifestyle and everyday sustainable transport.”