Friends of Bachman Lake Newsletter - October 2023
"All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking." – Friedrich Nietzsche
Walking is an activity that many of us take for granted. But as pedestrian accident rates continue to rise and access to safe pedestrian spaces is diminished, communities are recognizing that walking — and improving the walkability of our neighborhoods — requires public attention and action. Historically, roads and transportation systems were often placed with just one goal in mind: connecting one place to another as efficiently as possible. The aim of Complete Streets is to balance the safety and efficiency of roads with access to other modes of transportation, facilities for bikes and pedestrians and other community needs.
In the Bachman area our choices are limited but growing. You can obviously walk around Bachman Lake trail loop or if you are more adventuresome, you can go over to The Frasier (Frasier Dam Recreation Area) for a nature shower in the last urban forest in Dallas. By November, the nature trail in the Bachman Greenbelt should be done and construction on the Lemmon Ave trail (see more details in this newsletter) will have begun!
We admire what the state of Maryland is doing in terms of promoting walking, if you want to learn more about how to advocate for increased walkability (your voices matter!), listen to some of the free 'walkinars' that the Maryland Department of Planning has set up. All webinars will take place every Thursday at 9:30 a.m. CST. Sign-up!
We raised $12,300 during NTX Giving!
With the help of some special donors we exceeded our $5,000 goal for NTX Giving and then had a friend of Bachman Lake match what was raised! A big thank you to all and also to On Rotation Brewery for adopting us as their non-profit this year. It has been great seeing the difference that an engaged community can make. Our hearts are full!
As we've mentioned before, the funding for the construction of the nature trails and creating a Texas native garden is happening thanks to the donation of community members like you. If you missed the opportunity to donate during North Texas Giving Day, we are fine with you sending your donation directly. It's never too late!
Lemmon Ave Trail Construction has Started!
In case you missed our blog post, the Department of Aviation let us know that the construction of the Lemmon Ave trail is starting. We are super excited about this enhancement in our area which will allow safe access from the Elm Thicket, Bluffview and Shorecrest neighborhoods to Bachman Lake park. We hope this becomes "THE" art trail in Dallas because there will be some pretty amazing pieces that Love Field is commissioning.
The Skate Park is coming! The Skate Park is coming!
The Bachman Lake Skate Park is getting closer to reality! The contract for construction was approved by City Council on August 23rd, which sets the stage for construction to begin October 2023 and be complete by July 2024!
We love all our volunteers!
Bachman Lake Park is large and every little bit of help counts towards keeping it clean and pretty. We appreciate that students from Hockaday and St. Mark's took time on a recent Sunday to remove trash in and around the water. Their energy and enthusiasm was contagious! Thank you for making a difference.
Our Nature Trail work made Preston Hollow People!
As you know, Friends of Bachman Lake is working in the short term on the nature trails but wait, there is more:
We are looking forward to the completion of the Lemmon Ave Trail in 2 years (Mockingbird to Bachman Lake)
We are expecting the Bachman to Campion feasibility study to be approved by Park Board and City Council this year
We have our fingers crossed that approval for a connector to Northaven (along Denton Dr) gets approved in the bond program. 😍
Enjoy a recent article by Preston Hollow People about the work that Friends groups like ours are working to accomplish!
T-Shirts Are Here!
We are working to get Bachman Lake T-Shirts to those of you who donated funds and are eligible to receive shirts. Friends of Bachman Lake recently created our very first t-shirt with the help of Dan Bradley and his local custom printing company, Bullzerk.
Do you want one of your own?
We have more shirts to offer if you wish to donate! For every $20 donation, you can order a t-shirt up to 4 total shirts. You'll have the chance to specify each size. Order here!
Once we place the order and it's printed, we'll let you know at the email you provide so we can tell you how to pick it up. We are targeting dates and locations for our cleanup and meet-up events so we'll let you know!
Our Monthly Cleanup is every first Saturday!
You just need you but feel free to add friends and family to our monthly Plogging activities. Basically, it's picking up litter while jogging (or walking). A bag, some company if you like and a trip around the lake will help you stay active and healthy and keep the park beautiful!
See you this month!
Our ‘meeting of the minds’ at Bluffview Growler is on the 4th Wednesday of the month. No RSVP needed. Show up, say hello, grab a beverage and come sit with us to have some laughs and great talk!
Note: This will be the last meet-up for this year as the November and December dates run right into the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. We will resume in January, 2024! Make this one a great one!
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