July Newsletter:
"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." — Gandalf
OUR ASKS OF YOU
Northaven Trail Informational Happy Hour!
Go to their Facebook page on July 8th (6:30P) to hear about the awesome work that the Friends of Northaven Trail are doing in North Dallas! Some day there will be a connection North so that we can safely transit from trail to trail.
What projects is Parks and Recreation working on at Bachman Lake?
The Parks and Recreation department will be presenting (Facebook LiveStream) at the July 13th Neighbors in the Know virtual meeting. The projects for review will be:
The Bachman Recreation Center remodel
Status and scope of the Aquatic center
Schedule and location for the planned Skate park
Timing of the trail head at Lemmon and Northwest Highway, also known as the QT trail head.
Overview of the greenbelt nature trails
***Please continue to share our newsletter with your neighbors and friends!***
News
Slow Down Your Street
Remember how busy all our neighborhood streets were in the early days of the pandemic? Folks were walking, running, and biking at all hours of the day. Then once we started "opening up" and the summer heat arrived, there were fewer folks out on the roads. However, those moments in the spring were special and we saw less traffic and definitely more care by drivers as they traversed neighborhoods. You may have seen news articles on how cities are fast tracking street conversions to be pedestrian/cycling only. Locally, the City of Dallas has created a pilot program called Slow Streets, which will allow neighbors to get a 30-day permit to shut down thru traffic in order to create more opportunity for safe walking, running and bicycling while maintaining safe social distancing. We can think of so many streets in our area that can be slowed down such as:
* Capps and Crest Line in Shorecrest
* Lakemont Dr and Lenel in Midway Hollow
* Brockbank and Timberline in Bradford Estates/Bachman
* Burbank and Empire Central in Love Field West
* Roper in Elm Thicket
* Devonshire Dr in Devonshire
* Briarwood in Bluffview
To apply for your street go to: https://dallascityhall.com/…/public-works/Pages/Dallas-Slow…
Love Field Community Meetings
On June 30th, Love Field hosted a virtual meeting with the community to review the presentation they had planned to take to the City of Dallas Transportation Committee for approval. Your letters and feedback forced the Department of Aviation to share the information more broadly, however the ability for the community to provide feedback was curtailed due to the heavily moderated questions and lack of 'open mic'. In addition, the survey Love Field launched was not seeking community input on the entrances but rather was focused on the needs of drivers to/from the airport. In these times of increased awareness on the need for equality and improved two-way communication, Love Field's approach is disappointing.
The majority of attendees at the virtual meeting on June 30th posted that they did not experience congestion using Love Field Airport and for them it was not of top concern. Others noted that with COVID-19 demand for air travel is going to remain limited. One community member asked if 'doing nothing' was seriously considered. Clearly the equation the airport is looking at does not consider pedestrian or rail options as these would be the most favorable from a VMT perspective. When you consider activating multimodal transportation and reverting pavement to green spaces, the overall gas emissions would be far less than those created by smoothing out traffic flows at Mockingbird. Without transparency on the calculations it is difficult to counter their numbers and since traffic studies on the impact of a north entrance have not been done, they are not worth much.
Sadly, it‘s clear that the Department of Aviation is trying to 'check the box' and say to Committee that they have received community input and can move forward. Mr Duebner stated as much in the January Good Neighbor Program Meeting: "As we're waiting for the strategic mobility plan, we're sort of moving toward our own mobility plan around the airport." It is our strong opinion that a North Dallas mobility plan that prioritizes pedestrian/cycling access for the community needs to be in place before any decisions are made regarding an airport entrance. We need to remind Love Field and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that without real community participation their plans will land far short of the runway.
You can watch the video of the meeting on our website or attend the next one scheduled on July 23rd.
Events
Our monthly plogging event is every 2nd Saturday of the month from 6-7ish (or whatever time your coffee or daylight hours kick in). 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 we are hosting a multi-neighborhood virtual meeting to review the major projects that affect our area (think skate park, dredging, nature trails and of course the north entrance). Join us on FB Live from the comfort of your own home, ask questions and engage with City leaders!
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: This event is always dependent on the latest COVID-19 ordinances and there may be times when all bars are closed or only outdoor activity is permitted. We will keep you posted.
OUR FAVORITE IMAGES THIS MONTH
Instagram photo credits:
@smoothocean
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: