June Newsletter: #nonorthentrance, Neighbors in the Know
Updated: Jul 2, 2020
Five guys on the court working together can achieve more than five talented individuals who come and go as individuals - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
OUR ASKS OF YOU
Attend the Virtual meeting on June 8th!
Join our first ever multi-neighborhood meeting for an overview of the City projects that affect our area (think the dam reconstruction, dredging, nature trails and of course the north entrance), while in the comfort of your own home! See below for more details.
#nonorthentrance Flyer
The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (TRNI) delayed voting on the Department of Aviation choices for an alternate entrance to Love Field thanks to your voices! Seriously, thank you for emailing and writing your Council and Committee Members! The narrowing down of choices, was delayed until June 15th at 1PM. All those proposed entrance options pointed north, not good for the park or the neighborhoods. All we ask is that the community have a seat at the table before downselecting, thank you very much. Print or Email the flyer to your neighbors!
Sign the Petition to keep Bachman Lake community centric!
Area neighbors are leading the way and have put together a petition. Please sign! As they well stated: "We want to keep Bachman Lake Park as a community space founded on the City's vision for a comprehensive system of parks, trails, open spaces, and recreation facilities that sustains, inspires, and invigorates. A North Entrance should not be considered as a preferred traverse for vehicles without considering the impact it has on the Park, its users and the adjacent communities."
***Please continue to share our newsletter with your neighbors and friends!***
NEWS
Neighbors in the Know is Launching!
In 2019, FoBLcollected a list of over 50 projects that are either funded, requested or needed within a two-mile radius of the park. This list was reviewed at the end of 2019 with City of Dallas departments in order to find ownership and get updates. This was a last resort since countless emails and website searches made it challenging to get updates on the projects in and around Bachman Lake Park. It didn't work.
Early this year, when it was clear that updates would not be forthcoming, we changed tactics and determined a forum would have to be established to invite the community and the departments on focused updates. We were very lucky to have a relationship already with the Bachman Northwest Highway Community Association and they offered their monthly meeting time slot with Councilman Narvaez. We were also working with Bachman Lake Together for a large location since the recreation center remains under construction.
These plans were tabled with COVID-19 as facilitating in-person gatherings was out of the question. Enter the Love Field north entrance push and the need to create a conversation on the topic. The reality is that newsletters, blog posts and even NextDoor are very much one-way forms of communication. In a leap of faith, we dusted off our meeting concept, bought a Cisco Webex annual membership and spent some nights figuring out how to integrate it with Facebook Live! Bachman Community, the mallard has landed.
We hope you can join us in our journey to be more informed about our area, get to know the City departments, and connect with other like-minded folks – all from the safety of your home!
Our launch event is June 8th and we will be doing both English (6PM) and Spanish (7PM) sessions! Friends of Bachman Lake will be providing an overview of the various projects (including what we know about the north entrance to the airport) and the tentative calendar for City of Dallas departmental updates.
We lose $15,000 per person if you don't take the Census
Dallas is lagging behind other cities in completing the 2020 Census. That's bad for our city and our state. To make sure we get our share of federal aid, please make sure you and everyone you know do their part.
If you ever wonder why you might feel government doesn't work for you, it could mean that nobody knows you're here! You get your voice heard by being counted. Being counted means you get representation in Congress and having that representation means funds and resources get allocated to your district.
Remember the Electoral College? The number of Electoral Votes is based on the number of representatives each state has. The number of representatives is determined by the Census and every 10 years, the maps get redrawn. Unfortunately, many voiceless get left out because they don't understand the importance of being counted, have been misinformed about what the Census is and does, or they fear giving information to the Government. The Census is a roll call of every person living in the United States, regardless of their status in this country.
"But I don't trust giving my information to the Government." Think about this: you willingly give your information to Facebook, Google, Apple and more every day just by turning on your smartphone. And there are very few laws protecting you from what they do with that information. By law, your Census information cannot be used or shared beyond its intended purpose – even to law enforcement. Severe penalties of up to $250,000 and imprisonment await any Census Bureau employee who discloses or publishes personal information that identifies an individual.
Why not answer a few questions online to chart your future? It only takes a few minutes to complete the #ShortestCensusEver.
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!
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.
OUR FAVORITE IMAGES THIS MONTH
Instagram photo credits:
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