Sep 28, 2011
Conserve, but still water your lawn
Conserve water, but still water your lawn once a week…
You must water the foundation of your house to prevent it from cracking. Many Texas residents live in homes built on expansive, clay-based soil. Picture a sponge that swells when it's wet and shrinks when it's dry. When the soil under your foundation gets too dry, it will contract and pull away, which could cause your foundation to shift. Also, don't let your lawn die completely. Most of us have St. Augustine grass (the thicker dark green blades of grass), and it's not possible to buy St. Augustine seed, so if your lawn dies, you'll have to completely re-sod.

Sep 13, 2011
Brush Fire on FM 2484
A brush fire started on FM 2484 near Union Grove Park when a transformer blew. Info here

August 21, 2011
Drought Water Restrictions
Stage 1 drought restrictions implemented in Harker Heights. Article here.

July 30, 2011
BBB Issues Rental Scam Warning
BBB reminds customers to be wary of online rental properties that seem too good to be true. This is very prevalent in our military market. Article Here

June 26, 2011
Businesses Flocking to Knights Way
Since January, at least five businesses either have started construction or applied for permits to build or expand near or on Knight's Way, also known as Farm-to-Market 2410. CEFCO, Union State Bank, Texas Star Bank and Family Dollar have all opened or are being built along Knight's Way. IHOP opened this month just off Knight's Way on East Central Texas Expressway.Article Here

June 11, 2011
Alarming door-to-door sales tactics
In recent weeks, a number of Killeen and Harker Heights residents have complained of being subjected to high-pressure sales tactics by door-to-door burglar alarm salespersons.Article Here

June 2, 2011
Pools, waterpark, dive-in movie nights...
Stay cool this summer with local pools, waterpark, family dive-in movie nights, teen dive-in movie nights, splash pads, swim lessons, water aerobics, and Aqua Zumba. Article Here and Waterpark Info Here

May 31, 2011
Heights plans city garage sale in August
Harker Heights is having a citywide garage sale. The event is planned for August 6, and residents will be able to hold a sale at their home, without paying fees to the city. Addresses of included houses will be posted on the city's website as free advertisement. Info Here

May 13, 2011
Heights breaks ground on Purser park
Plans for the park include a walking trail, playground, two 20-by-20-foot pavilions, and an 18-hole disc golf course. It would also be home to the first and only dog park within the greater Killeen area. Article Here

April 21, 2011
Warning: Door-to-door Meat Seller
The Better Business Bureau is warning area residents of door-to-door meat salespeople representing Ranch House Quality Meats. Article Here

April 9, 2011
Recycling
Harker Heights recently added a recycling collection point at the city's existing solid waste drop-off center at 1761 Farm-to-Market 2410. Article Here

April 7, 2011
Harker Heights to Open Farmers Market
The Harker Heights Farmers Market is set to open on June 4 and will be held in Carl Levin Park on Saturdays from 7 to noon from June-October. Article Here

March 19, 2011
Heights Breaks Down Funds for Projects
The city recently accepted an interest rate for an $8 million loan that will provide funding for six capital improvement projects in the city. Article Here

February 23, 2011
Killeen Area Population Explodes
KILLEEN (Killeen Daily Herald) - The 2010 Census figures showed that over the last ten years, Bell County grew at more than a 30 percent rate, with a population increase of 72,000 residents. Article Here

February 21, 2011
Expect Road Delays this Week
Two road projects will delay traffic in Harker Heights this week. Beginning at 7 a.m. Monday, Indian Trail will only have one lane of traffic for asphalting. Traffic coming from U.S. Highway 190 will be detoured to Coral and Rattlesnake back to Indian Trail. Traffic headed toward U.S. 190 will be detoured to Frontier and over to the frontage road. Tuesday through Friday, Indian Trail will be reduced to one lane from Nola Ruth to Verna Lee for drainage improvements. To detour, northbound Indian Trail traffic must turn right onto Nola Ruth, left on Shine, left on Verna Lee and right on Indian Trail. Southbound traffic will be able to continue as usual. Article Here

February 20, 2011
Census Confirms Heights Growth
According the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 numbers, the city's population from 2000 to 2010 grew by 54 percent, while the number of homes in Harker Heights increased by about 52 percent. Article and More Data Here

January 6, 2011
Seton Hospital Coming to Harker Heights
Seton Medical Center Harker Heights will be a $100 million, 180,400-sf, 83-bed hospital that is expected to open in third quarter 2012. Groundbreaking is scheduled for first quarter 2011, according to LHP Hospital Group Inc. and the Seton Family of Hospitals. The hospital will be built on the south side of the highway at 860 West Central Texas Expy. between Knights Way and East Stan Schlueter Loop, just east of the Rosewood Retirement Center. The campus will include a 60,000-sf medical office building that Rendina Companies is developing to house specialists including family practice, internal medicine, cardiology, general surgery, orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, plastic surgery, obstetrics and gynecology.

October 24, 2010
Halloween Happenings
Official Heights Halloween trick-or-treat hours: Saturday, Oct. 30 from 5 to 8 p.m.
Halloween Hoopla - Saturday, Oct. 30 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Carl Levin Park.
Official Killeen Halloween trick-or-treat hours: Sunday, Oct. 31 from 6 to 9 p.m.
Annual Halloween Carnival – Saturday, Oct. 30 from 6 to 9 a.m. at Killeen Special Events Center, located at 3301 S. W.S. Young Dr.
Killeen Mall – Sunday, Oct. 31 from 4 to 5 p.m.

October 21, 2010
Heights Hosting Pet Food Drive
Parks and Recreation is collecting items for the Pet Adoption Center as the animal control facility nears its opening. The facility will have its grand opening and an open house at 9 a.m. Nov. 4. Article Here


September 24, 2010
Harker Heights 50th Anniversary at Dana Peak Sep 25
The city of Harker Heights is throwing a 50th anniversary party at Dana Peak Park tomorrow from 4-10:30. Food, live bands, fireworks. FREE activities for kids (jumping castles, rock climbing wall, face painting). Info Here

Sep 24, 2010
New Hospital to be Built in HH
Construction plans are underway for a new hospital to be built adjacent to Rosewood Retirement Centere in Harker Heights. Article Here

June 30, 2010
Harker Heights 50th Anniversary at Dana Peak Park
The city has locked in some details about its 50th anniversary celebration Sept. 25. The 50th celebration will be from 4 to 10:30 p.m. at the Army Corps of Engineers property, Dana Peak Park. Article Here

June 29, 2010
Harker Heights Shows Fast Growth
FORT HOOD AREA (Temple Daily Telegram) - Central Texas cities close to a lake or Fort Hood grew at the fastest clip between April 2000 and July 2009, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures. Harker Heights on the outskirts of Killeen and next to Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir grew by 50 percent to more than 26,000 people in the nine-year period. Killeen itself, the home of Fort Hood, grew by 37 percent from 86,911 to 119,510.

June 20, 2010
New Hospital Coming to Killeen/Harker Heights
LHP Hospital Group Inc. announced Friday that it plans to build a new hospital in the Killeen-Harker Heights area. Article Here

Mar 9, 2010
Kirklands and Knockouts Coming to Market Heights
During February, the City of Harker Heights issued two commercial permits for the finish-out of previously vacant space in Market Heights. One of the permits is for a new 8,757-sf Kirklands, is a specialty retailer of home décor. The other is for a new 1,344-sf Knockouts, a barber shop for men.

Mar 5, 2010
More I-35 Widening Coming to Bell County
Work on I-35 expansion from Salado to Belton should get started this summer. Article Here

Feb 17, 2010
Oncor addresses high electric bills
Oncor representatives gave a presentation about energy bill woes to the Harker Heights City Council.
KDH News Article Here

Dec 18, 2009
Area Home Sales Up
November home sales in the Greater Fort Hood Area surged to a 75 percent increase compared to the same period in 2008, as residents hurried to meet the original deadline of the First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit. KDH News Article Here, MSNBC Article Here

Sep 30, 2009
Indian Trail Projects to Start
An 18-inch waterline improvement from Nola Ruth Boulevard to FM 2410 is the first of the two projects. The second project is changing the Indian Trail roadway from Osage Trace to FM 2410. It will become a 29-foot-wide street with curbs, gutters and storm sewers, and a sidewalk on the east side. Article Here

Aug 11, 2009
What's Going on with Texas Real Estate?
While home prices nationwide fell 11.6% in January compared to a year ago, Texas had three of the only four housing markets in the country where homes actually increased in value. Austin-Round Rock had a 3.9% increase in housing market value, Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown home values jumped 3.6%, and Dallas-Plano-Irving grew by 1.5%.

Statewide, home prices rose nearly 2%, according to a report compiled by First American CoreLogic. No, we're not Austin-Round Rock but our market is better than most as well. See article that lists facts about the Texas real estate market, comparing 2009 sales with 2007 and 2008. Article Here

Aug 10, 2009
Harker Heights Sales Tax Rebates Up, Killeen Down
The State Comptroller's Office released statistics Friday for Texas sales tax rebates in June, showing Killeen with a sharp decrease and Harker Heights with a steady ascension. Article Here

July 9, 2009
Texas-size Growth Spurt
TEXAS (U.S. Census Bureau) - Round Rock has been named the second fastest-growing city in the nation from 2007 to 2008 with an 8.16 percent rise in population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2008 population estimates. In all, four of the ten fastest-growing large cities were in Texas, including McKinney (fifth), Killeen (ninth) and Fort Worth (tenth).

June 19, 2009
Harker Heights Council Cuts Budget
Harker Heights City is trimming the fat out of its budget for next year. Article Here

June 11, 2009
City Cuts Speed on Knights Way
Harker Heights City will drop the speed limit on 2410/Knights way from 50 to 45. Article Here

Apr 2, 2009
Housing Market Update
Home building and home selling in Central Texas are both showing an upturn as 2009 gets going. See Article here.

March 11, 2009
Area Job Growth Among Best in U.S.
Central Texas’ employment outlook is the fourth best in the nation, survey results indicate. See Article here.

Feb 28, 2009
Area Home Prices Remain Among Most Affordable
The Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood metro area was ranked 62nd in affordability for fourth quarter 2008 See Article here.

Feb 25, 2009
Dana Peak Park Repairs
Two years after record-breaking rains destroyed Dana Peak Park (just past the entrance to the Ridge), the park is on its way to being fully operational again. Officials estimate the work should be complete by the end of this summer. See Article here.

Jan 12, 2009
Tarleton to become Texas A&M
The institution of higher learning known as Tarleton State University-Central Texas is expected to fade away in the not-too-distant future, and give way to Texas A&M University-Central Texas. See Article here.

Jan 2, 2009
Upcoming Changes at Ft Hood
The 4th Infantry Division will soon begin the transition to its new home at Fort Carson, Colo., in June, and that is likely to be the biggest change at the post in the coming year. As a result, the number of troops that live and work on Fort Hood will shrink from the norm of about 52,000 to something around 39,000 between February and March. See Article here.

Dec 28, 2008
TXDot Announces 2410/190 improvements
TxDOT has already opened a new entrance ramp to westbound US 190 in front of Market Heights, and officials announced a $4.5 million project to widen the westbound frontage road from FM 2410 west to Stan Schlueter Loop. When the westbound entrance and exit ramps are both open, TxDOT will complete ramp reversals on eastbound US 190 and then complete a turnaround at the Indian Trail underpass and improve the intersection of US 190 and Indian Trail. Then a northbound turn lane will be built on FM 2410 for traffic to enter US 190.

Dec 28, 2008
More Businesses Opening in Market Heights
The businesses which have opened are Cinemark Theater, Firestone, First National Bank of Texas, Dicks Sporting Goods, Barnes & Noble, Bed Bath & Beyond, Circuit City, Petco, Old Navy, Caroline's, ULTA, Dollar Tree, Lane Bryant/Cacique, Rack Room, Twin Liquors, Maurice's, rue21, Catherine's, AT&T retail store, Payless, Portrait Innovations, Fossum Dental, Sally Beauty, Great Clips, Any Lab Test Now, and restaurants and snack stops including Cheddar's, Panda Express, Cracker Barrel, Fish City Grill, Chipotle, and YoYo's Frozen Yogurt.

On track to open in 2009 are Bank of America, Chase Bank, Chick-fil-A, Genghis Grill, James Avery, Five Guys, Studio Nail Salon, H&R Block and Jackson Hewitt.
See Complete Article here.

Nov 29, 2008
Homebuilding Expected to Pick Up
Killeen area homebuilders, reassured recently that troop levels at Fort Hood will stay constant and eventually increase, are still biding their time on new construction to get some surplus inventory sold before they start aggressive building again. At the same time, home prices are going up even as foreclosures keep increasing.. KDH News Article here.

Oct 31, 2008
Scott & White plans Heights clinic
Scott & White leased a 9,100-square-foot building in Texas Heritage Park at 907 Mountain Lion Circle for a new family clinic. Expected opening is mid-January. KDH News Article here.

Oct 29, 2008
Athletic Complex near completion
The Farm-to-Market 2410 Athletic Complex will have its seeds planted today to go alongside its already standing fences, light poles and more. Estimated completion is in March. KDH News Article here.

Oct 10, 2008
Attempted break-ins in Knights Ridge
Two attempted break-ins occurred in Knights Ridge (just on the other side of HHHS) yesterday. Both were in the daytime while the homeowner was in the house (females) and the owner's car was in the driveway.

A car pulled up on the street in front of the house with 3 or 4 young men in the car. A a hispanic man in late teens/early 20's with baggy pants rang the bell. When the owner opened the door, he tried to push his way in. One owner was able to lock her door before he got in and the other had a dog that scared him off. In the second instance he said they needed gas money and he would cut her grass for gas money...However no lawnmower was in sight and when she said no he started to coming toward the door.

The suspects are in a dark colored small car (black or dark blue) with heavily tinted windows. Both incidents have been reported to the police. Keep your eyes open but do not approach or attempt to follow the suspects. Call 911. They have a police officer at the high school and response time should be rather quick.

Please share with neighbors. The more people who are aware and watching, the safer our neighborhood will be!

Oct 6, 2008
Dog reashes required/Cleaning up after pets
A few dogs have been running loose in the neighborhood lately, snapping at heels and leaving "gifts" in neighbors' yards. City ordinances require dogs to be kept on a leash at all times when outside their fenced area, and for their owners to clean up their messes. Please be considerate of others.

Sep 30, 2008
Restaurant, clinic, more businesses coming to HH
Two new strip centers are being built in the 400 block of Knight's Way near Walgreens. Down the street, the walls of a KFC are taking shape, and a bank's construction is in review stage with the city. One of these centers - Knights Crossing - is nearly complete. The construction of Knights Crossing took about eight months and the build out, which is when businesses come into a portion of the building, should take about 30 to 60 days.

Sep 20, 2008
Take security measures against gas siphoners
Two homes in the neighborhood have recently had gas siphoned from their cars' gas tanks in the middle of the night. If your car doesn't have a locking cap, you may want to consider buying a locking cap at an auto parts store, or parking in the garage. Also, keeping your exterior lights on at night can help deter thieves.

Sep 15, 2008
Red Light Cameras on 2410?
I wasn't able to find any official information, but it looks like red light cameras have been installed at the intersection of 2410/Wampum, and 2410/Miller's Crossing. Be careful!

Sep 7, 2008
Lane Closure Starts in Heights
The Texas Department of Transportation will reduce traffic to one lane on southbound Farm-to-Market 2410 as it approaches the U.S. Highway 190 overpass in Harker Heights on Monday. KDH News Article here.

Sep 5, 2008
Harker Heights Library Nears Completion
The Library and Activities Center construction on Indian Trail is nearing completion. Parking lots should be finished soon. The 16,500-sf library (kitchen, staffing area, shipping room, offices) and the 8,800-sf activities center are tentatively scheduled for an October construction finish.

Aug 27, 2008
Red Light Cameras
Most of the citations from the newly-installed cameras in Killeen intersections have been for drivers not coming to a complete stop before making a right turn on a red light. Be careful! Fines are $75! KDH News Article here.

Aug 25, 2008
Stores are now open in Market Heights
The developer of Market Heights has a website where you can view the property map and see which stores are coming. See Developer's website here. (Once on their website, click on "Property Browser."

These stores are now open:
Target
Cinemark
Bed, Bath and Beyond
Maurice's
AT&T
Circuit City
Payless Shoesource
Lane Bryant
Barns & Noble
Rue 21
Rack Room Shoes
Catherine's
Dollar Tree
Petco
Ulta
Portrait Innovations

Aug 24, 2008
Heights Tax Rate to Remain the Same
Due to the rise in property values, as well as all of the new homes and businesses being built, property tax rates for the city of Harker Heights have remained the same for 17 years! KDH News Article here.

July 23, 2008
Local businesses and building plans...
Motels: Groundwork has begun on two new motels on the south side of Central Texas Expressway between Farm-to-Market 2410 and Indian Trail. The larger motel, between the temporary building housing the Harker Heights branch of Union State Bank and the Whataburger at the intersection of the two highways, will be a four-story, 80-unit extended-stay Studio 6. The Studio 6 will be the city's tallest building. The other is a three-story, 44-room Super 8 at 470 E. Central Texas Expressway.

Water Park: A new water park is coming to the City of Killeen, and it could be up and running by next summer. Lions Club Water Park has a maximum capacity of 780 people and would hold a 2,180-sf bathhouse and a 10,360-sf multiuse pool. In addition it would have with a 25-meter lap pool, three water slides, a bowl slide and shade shelters.

Target/Market Heights: The Target store in Killeen has closed its doors for the final time, while the Target store in Harker Heights has officially opened its doors. Target will be the second major nationwide chain to open at Market Heights. The first was the Cinemark theater, which opened in May. Other major national chains, including Barnes & Noble, Dick's Sporting Goods and Circuit City, will follow with openings in Market Heights. Most of the stores in Market Heights will be open by the middle of August, with the pad-site businesses such as Cracker Barrel opening in October.

Library: The Harker Heights Library and Activities Center should be completed in 80 days, according to Steven Cox, Chaney-Cox site manager of the project. The building is about 60 percent complete. The library and activities center will be divided into two parts - about 16,500 sf for the library and more than 8,800 sf for the activities center.

April 25, 2008
Hwy 190 Ramp Reversal from 2410 to Indian Trail
Texas DOT started the process Thursday of reversing the on- and off-ramps on U.S. Highway 190 between Indian Trail and Farm-to-Market 2410. Killeen Daily Herald article here.

April 24, 2008
Market Heights Update
The new Cinemark theatre is scheduled to open at the end of May. The other stores in Market Heights are scheduled for the end of the summer. See Killeen Daily Herald article here.

April 16, 2008
Speed zone change
Use caution when driving on Verna Lee, the road that runs in front of the high school from 2410 to Indian Trail. The city has recently changed the speed limit from 40 to 30, and this has always been a favorite hangout for police to catch speeders. Speed zone is still 25 during school hours.