January 2021 Newsletter
Updated: Feb 1, 2021
Happy New Year — Feliz Año Nuevo — حلول السنة الجديدة — Bonne Année — Frohes Neues Jahr — 新年快乐 — Bom Ano Novo — 행복한 새해 되세요
THE ESSENTIALS...
Lots was achieved in 2020, more than we thought! Take a look at our recap video.
The Great BackYard BirdCount is coming February 12th - 14th! If you are an educator, take advantage of the training offered by the Audubon Society at the end of this month. Not only are Bachman Lake Park and Greenbelt fantastic viewing locations but so is the Frazier Dam Recreation Area. You can join us in counting egrets, ducks, double breasted cormorants, American white pelicans and more!
Also a big Thank You to our Parks Maintenance department for installing pet waste stations around Bachman Lake Trail. Our dogs also say 'woof'!
A couple of reminders: The Bachman Area Survey has been extended to February 28th, please, pretty please submit your response! Also, you still have time to weigh in on the Northwest Highway proposals: tunnel, double-decker, road diet?
***Continue to share our newsletter with your neighbors and friends!***
NEWS
Do you have questions about street racing, code violations or homeless encampments? Ask away at Neighbors in the Know!
A great update on the North Dallas Chamber Public Safety Committee was posted this week on NextDoor by Gay Donnell Willis. The committee met with the lead over the Dallas Police Department's Street Racing Task Force and we thought it would be an opportune time to provide a summary since the January Neighbors in the Know meeting will be with the Dallas Police Department's Northwest Division. We also invited Code Compliance and Homeless Solutions to the meeting, so make sure to mark it on your calendar (1/11 at 6PM). You will see the meeting feed on the Friends of Bachman Lake Facebook page and can participate by posting questions/comments live!
Regarding street racing and the update from NextDoor:
This is a nationwide problem, from Maine to California, with some groups traveling to Dallas because of our central location and restrictions on how criminals can be pursued.
Street racing is just that, often with gambling involved in the outcome. They operate in warehouse districts or public roadways with long straightaways. There is little distinction between targeting neighborhoods, businesses and the Central Business District (CBD).
A 911 call of this nature gets officers dispatched in about 5-7 minutes. These highly mobile groups communicate in real time about intersections to “takeover,” monitor police calls online and notify the crowd as soon as officers are dispatched. On-site spotters are also used. They blow airhorns, honk horns, shoot fireworks, etc. as a signal to quickly depart and move to another location.
Year-to-date there have been 8000 racing/takeover calls, with North Central representing 360, North West – 841 and North East – 1000. The bulk of calls go to SW, SE and South Central.
There is no “one” type of driver. They range from age 13 to 45+. Motivation includes creating havoc, thrill or just think it is fun. The exposure and “fame” on social media is also a factor.
Love Field Year-over-Year Statistics
In early 2020, due to the number of complaints noted in Nextdoor regarding aircraft noise (notice the huge number of complaints in February 2020), Friends of Bachman Lake approached Love Field airport regarding the reporting of their complaint statistics. Historically, Love Field would provide a view of the previous month, which made it difficult to assess monthly, seasonal or year-over-year trends. The Love Field environmental team has been very helpful and late last year provided us with the monthly statistics for 2019 and 2020. What are the findings?
There is no surprise that there is a direct correlation between the number of flights and the number of complaints. The more flights there are, the more noise complaints.
There does not appear to be a seasonal impact as complaint volumes in summer and in winter have similar spikes.
We need to determine whether there were key events in certain months (i.e. runway closures) to better understand the numbers.
Remember that you can use Love Field's Flight Tracker to see what flight is causing noise in your area and to submit a complaint. In case you forgot, the agreed to operational hours with Love Field are 9PM-6AM.
Link to Flight Tracker: https://flighttracker.casper.aero/dal/
Link to submit a complaint: https://flighttracker.casper.aero/dal/complaint/index.php?lang=en_US
Lemmon Avenue Streetscape Enhancements
You will recall that Love Field is finally making improvements to the green spaces on Lemmon Avenue. In October they released some new design updates of the trail and also of the pocket parks. If you want to get more details check out their website. The next Good Neighbor Program meeting is next Tuesday (January 12) at 6PM, so if you have any questions or comments, make sure to register for the event. Because we love trees, we will certainly be asking them to protect all the mature trees along Lemmon Ave!
EVENTS
Our monthly plogging event is every 2nd Saturday of the month – at whatever time works for you! Bring one of those plastic bags we all have around the house and put it to good use. Walk the path or meander off of it and pick up trash. It’s great for the hamstrings! Give a shout-out to anyone you see walking around the lake with a plastic bag - they are clearly FoBLers!
Every second Monday of the month (6PM English and 7PM Spanish) we host a multi-neighborhood virtual meeting to review the major projects that affect our area. Remember, just go to the FoBL Facebook page and watch it live! Next up, the Dallas Police Department, Homeless Solutions and Code Enforcement!
Also, don't forget to join us at our monthly ‘meeting of the minds’ at Bluffview Growler. It's on the 4th Wednesday of every month from 4-6PM. No RSVP needed. Note that this activity is subject to COVID related restrictions and proper social guidelines.
OUR FAVORITE IMAGES THIS MONTH
Instagram photo credits:
Already on our mailing list? You can update your information by using the button below. If its the first time you've received this newsletter because a kind friend has sent it to you and love what you see, join the mailing list: