Attendees: See sign in sheet

Minutes:

Call to order: 7:02 PM

Andrew Epps welcomed everyone and called the meeting to order.

Officer Updates:

• NPO:
  • Officer Rockwell filling in for Officer Bell.
  • 26 incidents (warrants and arrests, accidents, etc.) Mosly minor. 4 incidents north of Jessamine.
  • Vape shop on Magnolia was robbed on the 6^th
  • Bodily injury behind 7/11 – random guy throwing rocks
  • Someone hanging out at a dr office and threatened to shoot once asked to leave. Was arrested.
  • 2100 block of 5^th ave – 2 residents woke up to broken car windows. No further info on how or why. 3/17 incident
  • Chipotle – someone broke in at 2am. Employee was there and called 911.
  • Suzanne Mable & Mary. Incident at the garden today 3PM. Woman (Tammy) who vandalized in the past. Called the police. Mentally ill/ unmedicated/ off and on brought back to the neighborhood. Asked to not hang out in the library. Freaked out and became violent – throwing stuff at people and cars.
  • Jail Diversion Center:
    • Seems like more police activity at the night
    • Client transfers happening in the streets, it seems
    • People choosing to leave been escorted into the neighborhood
    • Potentially due to someone leaving voluntarily and becoming violet – would have more patrol people
    • Been a big discussion recently with FWPD.
    • Voluntary to leave, but the other option is to go to prison. But once they leave, they need to be caught again and put in jail.
    • There was a meeting in the past with Councilwoman Beck and someone from the FNA. Not sure who – maybe a few presidents ago. Neighbor to send Andrew an Email and he will get this to Beck’s office
  • Hurley SWAT team incident – busted drug house (2500 Ryan) 3/12. 3 charges of mfg. and delivery of controlled substance, etc.
  • Fairmount/ Richmond, a few nights ago, large party disturbance of about 100 teens. Police were called. If a report was made, it can be looked up, but if PD just busted a party then not necessarily. No shooting or fight. Party was around Fairmount/ Park Place.
  • Henderson/ West Arlington ongoing issue. Neighbors have cameras and every situation becomes an offense – disorderly conduct citation so far. Warrant will be issued if not taken care of in 11 days. NPO sits and waits to catch him. CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) is involved. Suggest to call 911 immediately when it happens – not hours later, as it becomes a downgraded situation. Misdemeanor needs to happen in presence of an officer. Need to get him in front of a judge somehow so that his history is looked at and determined with mental health professional.
• FNA is meant to be a voice for the neighborhood. Will try to get Beck to come talk at a FNA meeting again.

Community Garden:

• Policeman today suggested a camera facing the street. Contact the city to ask for a camera facing the garden. FNA to look into this.
• Brandon (president) – Saturday, April 13 volunteer day – need help with weeding. Lots of plans for upkeep coming up.
• Egg hunt with the library was a success recently.
• Chicken coop was taken down and will build 2 additional plots – will send emails to people from the waitlist.

Community Library Update:

• Fundraiser launched earlier this month (Jess – fundraising chair)
  • $1200 to keep the library open
  • Goal is 5k, but at 4k now
• Open Streets involvement, garage sale, memberships with discounts on space rentals (Kat Valentine)
• Gem store to close at the end of this month. Looking for a new subletter. Will send a form out for this.

Board Updates:

• Home Tour: Kelci Cox
  • 5 homes on home tour, 2 businesses
  • Volunteer and support positions available and ready to sign up – one off commitment to get involved with the neighborhood and meet people.
  • Meeting tomorrow at 6PM at Lockwood Distilling
• St Patrick’s Day Porch Crawl Update: Barbara Crotty
  • 10 houses signed up despite poor weather there was a decent turn out
  • Nothing signed up for April yet for FNA social, so anyone wanting to open their house
  • Currently 75 members.
  • Ends in Dec and start up again in January. If you have not updated already this year, you need to.
  • Historicfairmount.com/join – paypal or credit card. 20 individual – 25 for a household
  • Jim can tell you if you are a current member or not (send an email to membership)
• Greenspace Sign:
  • Putting money back into the community
  • Budget meeting happens in October if you have an opinion
  • Tear down to begin, sign supposed to be up before home tour
  • Michael Mcdermott to send a landscaper to pull weeds in the bed by the historic plaque for free.
  • Butterfly garden – city property, needs to go through getting multiple bids, etc. Sprinklers in there. Michael wants to get grass removed and plant leftover perennials. Fairmount Community Garden happy to do a monthly work day there. Suzanne: there was a plan, maybe someone could not afford it. Best way to do this is by getting more volunteers and groups set up to look into these items. McDerm to come to a board meeting and work on developing a plan.
• Public Safety Update: Ray Feyn
  • Looking for volunteers to help patrol the neighborhood.
  • Potentially volunteers help the NPO set up stakeouts, etc to help
  • 8 hour training session. Issued a radio and shirt

Neighborhood Garage Sale:

• April 20^th
• If you want to be on the list/ map, email communications – pay attention to email newsletter and social media
• Barbara asking for volunteers to help her garage sale. Proceeds to go to FNA. Sign up with Barbara in person or email membership

Looking Forward:

• Board Member Nominating Committee
  • Communication
  • Finance
  • Preservation
  • Public Safety
  • Promotions (1 year)
• 2 year positions
• Nominating committee is a short term commitment to help the neighborhood out.
• Can join a committee before coming onto the board officially. 8-9 board members, but we need committees behind us to support

Historic Preservation:

• Working on imaging the neighborhood now. Need volunteers. Every 5-10 years. To update the website records. This becomes a way for FNA to own images and keep accountability with any updates to houses.

Traffic Calming:

• Will happen at the April meeting due to miscommunication with the city.

Adjourn: 7:58 PM

Fairmount’s 42nd annual Tour of Historic Homes is happening on Mother’s Day weekend, May 11 and 12, 2024 from noon-5 p.m. both days. This year’s tour features five beautiful historic houses and two neighborhood businesses. This is the perfect gift for Mom for her special weekend!

Located on the Near Southside of Fort Worth, Texas, and covering about one square mile, the Fairmount National Historic District contains one of the nation’s richest collections of turn-of-the-century housing. Fairmount is comprised of about 20 subdivisions platted between 1883 and 1907. At the time, Fairmount was a fashionable neighborhood.

Home tour is the neighborhood’s largest fundraiser, and helps support projects throughout the year. If you look around you will see evidence of past tour efforts in the neighborhood signage that can be found at the perimeter of Fairmount, the benches in the Fairmount Greenspace on Allen Ave., the Fairmount National Historic District Texas landmark sign, and more.

Tickets are currently for sale online for $20 each; $25 on tour weekend. Buy your tickets early to take advantage of the discounted price. And, if you want to celebrate Fairmount year-round, order a poster too. These are great 11×17 images printed on heavy cardstock and are framable.

Come out and celebrate our beautiful, historic houses, meet the residents who live in Fairmount, and step back in time as you walk along our tree-lined sidewalks. After the tour, be sure to stop by one of the great restaurants or shops along Magnolia. We hope to see you on Mother’s Day weekend.

Attendees: See sign in sheet

Minutes:

Call to order: 7:00 PM

Andrew Epps welcomed everyone and called the meeting to order.

Officer Updates:

• NPO:
  • Officer Bell is still out and is on light duty only. She should be back next month.
  • Sexual assault of a child. Man was imprisoned for a long time and this had stemmed from an old issue.
  • Some motor vehicle theft. Mainly targeting Kias. FYI that Kias can be taken to the dealership to get fixed. Only keyed Kias are susceptible – push start models do not have an issue. Some suspects have been found.
  • Some incidents of minor assaults/ family violence where warrants were issued or sent to jail on site.
  • 45 offences in the last month – not a lot
  • No issues at the skate park
• Code Compliance:
  • Drew is taking over just for the day
  • A lot of out of cycle bulk trash – 4^th Monday of the month, but can put out on the weekend before, but not on Friday
  • Junk vehicle complaints in public streets – this is a police issue. Code is only involved on private property.
  • Cowtown Cleanup – can sign up for officers to be cleaning up in an area.
  • Longstanding tickets – citations can be issued. Potentially a lien if the city has to pay to clean up a property.
  • Short Term Rentals – Residential zoning, cannot be less than 30 days. Need to be registered with the city. If multi use or commercial, can be less than 30 days. Report on My FW app or call 817 392 1234 if you don’t want to use the app. You can look up the zoning map online.
• Anthony Rojas from Councilwoman Beck’s Office:
  • Some emails about leaks coming from the ground. Mostly an issue in Ryan Place and southern Fairmount. Beck has requested an IR to see how TPW and water to see who is responsible for the leaks.
  • Traffic calming applications. Beck has a meeting with TPW set up to discuss. Implementation is lengthy and about a year. Anyone can submit this by reaching out to Beck’s office.
  • District 9 Newsletter – sign up online for updates twice a month.
  • Continue to use the My FW app as a resource.
  • Beck will next be up for re-election in 2025.
  • Railroad crossing upgrading at Cleburne and Berry being worked on/ discussed. Probably construction will not happen within the next year because of all the technicalities and stakeholders.
  • Question from the membership regarding the recent closing of doors on police discussions: This is a current lawsuit, so not sure what is possible to discuss yet.
  • anthony.rojas@fortworthtexas.gov & districtnine@fortworthtexas.gov

Community Garden:

• Chicken coop to be torn down by Mary and volunteers. Almost was accomplished before Cowtown, but ran into some issues.
• New gardeners coming in since January beds opened up. All beds are currently leased.
• President of the garden is stepping down on March 16.
  • New board members stepping up
  • The board is working on a budget
  • Mary will be taking over as Treasurer and will need to get Mary added to checks – FNA will help out.
• Gate issues – may need a whole new fence. New board to work on details.

Cowtown Marathon Update:

• Thank you to the many people who make this happen. This makes Fairmount Park an extra water station on the full marathon route.
• Approximately 80-90 people came out on Sunday.
• Families and new neighbors were able to get plugged into some upcoming FNA opportunities.

Board Updates:

• TCU/ FNA Communications Collaboration:
  • Elizabeth Sehan, Fairmount resident and TCU professor, reached out to FNA interested in working with the neighborhood to do a capstone project for TCU communications students.
  • Andrew and Christina are going to TCU tomorrow to discuss with the class about doing a capstone PR project for FNA.
  • After discussing with Elizabeth about the FNA’s needs, the project will be focused on campaigning for volunteers. Sometimes in this digital age, there is too much information on things like social media that there is info overload and things/ needs get lost.
• Home Tour:
  • Kelci is interim Promotions Director since she moved out of the neighborhood and is still chairing Home Tour this year.
  • The last meeting at Lockwood was very successful.  
  • There are 6 homes and businesses signed up. Including Cherry Coffee and Old Home Supply.
  • Mothers Day weekend – May 11 and 12. Volunteers will be needed. Sign Up Genius will be posted for volunteers to sign up for various positions
  • Opportunity to be a museum and show off the neighborhood.
• Greenspace Sign:
  • Sign work is ongoing.
  • Design was picked last year in a general meeting.
  • Board meeting decided to move forward and the sign was budgeted for this year.
  • The goal is to have the new sign up for Home Tour.

Southside Preservation Hall Update:

• Billy Hassel had lived in Fairmount for 20 years and still has a studio on College.
• Jeff Gibbons is the executive director for the Southside Preservation Hall and has been in Fairmount, fixing up houses for many years.
• Dennis Webb formerly worked for NASA and is helping the Southside Preservation Hall move forward as a space for the community.
• The Southside Preservation Hall is an important building in the neighborhood and greater Fort Worth. While it was once in danger of being demolished by the former owners (Boys and Girls Club), community members including the ones speaking today and other former FNA members got together in 1996 to create a nonprofit organization and save the building from being torn down.
• The group has been working since then to upkeep the building on their own and restore it to its former glory, but it is an expensive and massive undertaking, so they have begun ramping up their efforts since Covid times and reconstituted into an official 501(c)3 organization and begun applying for grants to repair things like the roof.
• While the building is not currently in danger of being torn down, there is now an opportunity to do more than let it be sold to the highest bidder. Working on building up the momentum and fixing up for allowing community organizations to use/ etc. Dennis is working on moving the process forward.
• History of the building:
  • Sanctuary is 115 years old. Oldest church sanctuary in Fairmount, proven by Sanborn. Maybe second oldest in Fort Worth. One of the crowns jewels of Fairmount.
  • 1905: Methodist church, north of here wanted space closer to Fairmount. Put on shows to raise money to build the sanctuary. 1956 – last building added. Peak in the 1950s.
  • The term “money pit” has been used since the 1960s. Ageing population and younger families moved out of the areas.
  • Sold to the Boys and Girls club for $125,000.
  • FNA in the 1980s worked to create the historic district – which helped SSPH. Neighborhood people helped to create stained glass for the rose chapel, when it was removed by people.
• The SSPH is working now to be a music venue. Partnering with promoters. Weird Wednesday at the Hall (art, then a movie in the hall). Local professional wrestling. Hosting community events.
• Advertising and Social Media have been a challenge so far. FNA can include SSPH events in newsletters and social media blasts.
• Next Friday; 25^th anniversary of the big band (18 people) swing dancing in the ballroom
• Mission of SSPH is community service. Not everything needs to be monetized.
• Ask: come see shows, schedule a tour (call the office), book events at the hall, volunteer for events, donate, or become a sponsor for an event
• Community arts center preservation. This group has been in discussions with them. Issues with getting old buildings up to code.

Hemphill Corridor Alliance:

• A couple of Hemphill Corridor Alliance board members attended the FNA meeting today.
• Next meeting is this Thursday at 5:30 PM at Victory Forest.
• Invitation to the community to attend any meetings.
• The goal is to revitalize and bring good new energy to Hemphill.
• Susan Harper is on the board and attends, along with a member from the FNA board.

Yard smart event reminder

Reminder about Community Library events

Reminder about Citizens Police Academy

Adjourn: 8:15 PM

Attendees: See sign in sheet

Minutes:

Call to order: 7:00 PM

Andrew Epps welcomed and called the first meeting of 2024 to order.

Officer Updates:

• NPO (Neighborhood Police Officer) – Officer Bell (Temporarily, Ryan Rockwell)
  • Officer Ryan Rockwell is filling in for Officer Bell while she is on medical leave. This is temporary for about 2 more weeks. His phone number is: 817-988-1042.
  • Shooting on Elizabeth Ave. on January 15, across from Daggett Park:
    • Suspected vehicle is a grey 4 door sedan. Shots from a 9mm gun were taken from the car and caused damage to a house.
    • The incident seems random, but there is an assigned detective working on it.
    • Ryan to follow up and let the neighborhood know once there are any updates. The PD has watched lots of camera footage from the day and time, but it was dark and hard to see.
  • 30 offenses for January total. 1 violent crime (the shooting)
  • Don’t leave stuff in your cars. If nothing of note is visible inside the car, people will typically leave it alone and move on.
  • Not in the neighborhood, but there was a burglary recently at the 2901 Travis Ave apartments. Note to not enter your house if you notice that something is awry. Call the cops to clear your house, just to be safe, in case someone is still in your house when you get home.
  • There was a robbery on Allen Ave gas station. The incident was a homeless guy trying to steal some food, but since he touched the clerk, it is officially considered a “robbery”.
• Anthony from Councilwoman Beck’s Office:
  • Send an email to councilwoman Beck’s office if you have any questions/ comments/ issues.
  • Community engagement for the 2026 bond will be starting this year. Sign up for the District 9 newsletter on the city’s website to get updates on this. Email blasts will be sent every 2 weeks on Mondays.  

Community Garden Updates:

• Nothing much is going on since the recent cold weather.

President’s Welcome:

• There will be lots of good stuff coming up in 2024, so stay tuned.
• We will be focusing on building committees around the directors this year and will be needing volunteers for various items, depending on your interest.
• Note that directors serve 2-year terms (odd and even year terms)

FNA Promotions Director Update – Kelci Cox:

• Kelci has recently moved away from the neighborhood and will be stepping away from the Promotions position but will be serving as a consultant.
• Let Kelci and/ or Andrew know if you are interested in stepping into the Promotions position or helping in any way.
• There are approximately 18 months left on this director term, since it just started late last year.
• Planning Home Tour is a big part of this position:
  • Home Tour planning (Mother’s Day weekend) has started already.
  • Next week, Tuesday, January 30^th at 6PM at Rosen House: The first Home Tour Committee meeting. Announcements to be sent out via communications channels.

Director Spotlight: Communications Director – Cristina Gore:

• Communications responsibilities include keeping up with social media (Facebook & Instagram), the FNA website, emails, and newsletters (print & digital)
• 1800 copies of the last newsletter were distributed through the community. There will be many future opportunities to help with newsletter distribution.
• We welcome any volunteers interested in communication and marketing, design, or have any interest in contributing a story or written piece to the newsletter.
  Email communications@historicfairmount.com with anything.

Director Updates:

• Finance – Lauren Wu:
  • FNA made $3,300 from this past Festivus. This is $800 more than the year before.
  • Festivus is also put on by Promotions.
  • $1,500 will be donated to One Safe Place. This donation is separate from any direct donations made to One Safe Place.
• Communications – Cristina Gore:
  • Girls Night Out is tomorrow (Tuesday, January 23) at 7PM at Cristina’s house. BYOB and bring a snack or treat to share.
• Public Safety – Ray and Carol Feyen:
  • Public Safety director works closely with the NPOs and police department
  • Call for volunteers for Citizens on Patrol. Contact Ray for more information. Receive training from the PD and a one-day course.
  • Beginning March 5^th, FWPD is putting on a Citizen’s Police Academy.
    • 12-week course, where you go once a week to the police HQ and listen to a 1–2-hour lecture on a specific department to gain a better understanding of how the PD works.
    • Free, but need to apply. Contact Ray for more information.
    • At the old police department on College St by the river (6-9PM)
    • Med star and the Tarrant County prosecutors used to have a 12-week courses pre-pandemic.
• Membership – Barbara Crotty:
  • The responsibility of the Membership director is to keep a database of membership, make welcome packets for new residents, and put on monthly neighborhood socials.
  • The membership committee includes 2 people – one each for putting together welcome packets and keeping up the membership spreadsheets.
  • Current 2024 membership is 61.
  • 2023 membership total was 130.
  • Memberships all renew on January 1^st. Remind your neighbors to renew.
  • The February social will be Sunday, February 25^th as part of the Cowtown Marathon Cheer Station, like last year.
    • We will provide mimosas and set up a bounce house (from the Firestation Park). Additional ideas are welcome – send to Barbara.
    • Martin and Linda typically help with the day-of set up.
    • Brenda works on the marathon set-up through the whole city.
    • Breakfast from Waffle House to be provided.
    • Runners come through Fairmount Park about 8AM – noon ish.
    • Cheer station, portapotties, and DJ typically provided by the marathon.
    • The park is not an official water station, but Martin will typically make sure that water is provided.
    • This station is about a halfway point for the marathon and important for runner morale.

Misc:

• Infrastructure – Kristin Klade:
  • Working on getting a third quote for the new sign at the green space on Allen Ave.
  • Make sure to be reporting any infrastructure issues on the My FW App. This helps the city with planning for the 2026 bond coming up.
• Historic Preservation – Preston Patry:
  • Coming up around March, we will begin 2024 imaging of the neighborhood.
    • This will be 3-4 photos of each house.
    • Volunteers will be needed. More info to come when we get closer to the date.
    • We need to keep images of all homes so that the neighborhood has a record of any exterior changes or modifications made to homes.

Adjourn: 7:50 PM

Call to order: 7:02 PM

Andrew Epps welcomed and called the meeting to order. This is the last general meeting for 2023, but there are plenty of happenings for the rest of the year – keep up on Facebook, Instagram, and FNA newsletters (physical and email).

Officer Updates:

• NPO: Officer Bell
  • In the holidays, there is an uptick in activity. Reminder to lock your doors and hide your valuables. 
  • Homelessness is on the rise. Councilwoman Beck is working to address this on Magnolia and elsewhere. Exercise caution when encountering anyone. You can not know the current mental health state of anyone. 
  • Reminder that 911 and non-emergency calls go to the same place.
  • Continue to call events in and make reports as events happen because they all add up.
  • Recent events:
    • Cameras stolen, etc. by an individual who has had multiple situations recently in the neighborhood.
    • Supposed gunshots 10/23 were called in third-party but gave an incorrect address. The situation did not even happen in Fort Worth. 
    • Group of kids in Ryan’s Place recently stole tires from cars. 
  • Barbara suggests Officer Bell to include an article in the upcoming printed Fairmount newsletter. 
• Code Compliance: Christopher Bryan
  • New code compliance officer for Fairmount
  • 50 violations in the last 30 days:
    • Trash carts out too early (any time before 6PM on Wednesday is “too early”)
    • Incorrect trash cart storage – when being stored, cans should not be able to be seen from the street when looking head-on at the house. 
    • Property maintenance (outside storage, BBQ sets)
    • There was a situation on Washington where someone was putting cans out consistently too early. Code compliance got a translator and was able to discuss with the sister of the resident who is disabled, and the situation should be resolved. 
  • Stray rodent situation nearby, but not in Fairmount. Neighbors were feeding cats, so cats were not taking care of rodent situations because they were well fed.
  • Information on priority repair program provided via handouts.

Finance – 2024 Budget Audit:

• The increase in the historic preservation budget is due to an idea that the board had for Michael McDermott to sign and sell books on the FNA website. FNA will need to buy these books first, hence the increase in budget, but expects to make money from them. 
• Historic marker purchases are assumed to increase as well. FNA buys the neighborhood plaques before selling them. 
• Office supply category consolidated rather than spread out among various categories. 
• One big item being proposed to add to the budget is the sign on the green space. Kristen working on getting 3 bids to follow the bylaws.
  • Dead tree at the corner of the green space? This is on the adjacent house’s property.
• TNR (trapping and neutering cats) request sent to the president. This is not specifically included in the budget but could be under Neighborhood Services. Additionally, the budget is not fixed and can be amended further in the year if necessary.
• 2024 FNA budget vote:
  • Motion to approve the 2024 FNA budget as sent and presented: Fred Harper
  • Motion seconded: Susan Harper 
  • The motion passes unanimously.

Guest Speaker:

• A previous Fairmount resident Jeanette promoting her late husband’s book, sharing the story of the neighborhood about her late husband Art, a landlord in the neighborhood, who took on the City of Fort Worth planners who were planning on demolishing a large portion of Southside. 
• Audio, e-books, and physical books are available on Amazon.

Voting Reminder:

• Texas constitutional proposition voting is happening now.
• Early voting is open now from October 23 – November 2

Promotions: Kelsie

• Arts Goggle went great. New neighbors were able to volunteer. FNA made money from helping to sell shirts. There will be new FNA swag for sale online that we ordered ahead of the event.
• Fall Fest will be from 5 – 7 PM on the Sunday coming up.
  • There will be 2 food trucks. 50/50 and Benit Bus. 
  • Costume contest (adults, kids, and pets), games for kids, popcorn and drinks, trunk or treat (need vehicles still – contact Kelsie). 
  • Garden will also be open. 
• Festivus is coming up on December 9^th.
• Winter Social is coming up on December 3^rd at Arts Fifth.  

Misc:

• The neighborhood garden will be on the farm to table tour this weekend per Suzanne. 

Adjourn: 8:02 PM

Call to order: 7:02 PM

Andrew Epps welcomed and called the meeting to order.

Officer Updates:

• Code Compliance was not able to attend. If there are any questions, email or call code compliance. Andrew can provide the contact info, if anyone does not have it.
• NPO and Deputy Constable were not in attendance.

Community Garden Updates: Suzanne Mabel

• Garden looks sad but “Hope never dies in a true gardener’s heart.”
• Garden workday is every second Saturday from 10 AM – 12 PM.
• Suzanne is in contact with a home school group who may help with cleaning the garden.
• The greenhouse is on hold, as it was too hot to build.
  • The current plan is to raise more money to buy a premade greenhouse.
  • The Garden will ask people to donate more money and potentially ask FNA for a donation.
  • The Garden has been in contact with a couple of companies already. The total cost will be around $2,900 – $4,000 for someone to prefabricate, transport from East Texas, and build on site. The Garden will just need to prep the ground. 
  • Kim Worly suggests the potential to raise money at Arts Goggle or the holiday social via a raffle.
  • There are Garden tee shirts that could be sold for greenhouse funds as well.

Infrastructure Update: Kristen Klade

• The FNA has a sign proposal for the Fairmount green space off Allen from a company that Barbara Crotty has been in contact with.
  • The total cost of the sign would be $5,000, according to the company.
  • The company provided two design options – both with the sign out of aluminum, acrylic letters, and masonry below. 
  • The blue option includes lights, but the pink option does not.
  • The general membership consensus is leaning toward the pink design as it is more contrasting and noticeable.
  • Lights could be added later if we need to save money. These could be solar lights. 
  • Kristen to clarify with the company if the lights are included in the $5,000 quote, or if they would be additional. And, if so, how much more.
  • There has been discussion amongst the Board about the sign’s direction and which way it should face – if it should be where the current sign is parallel to the street, or perpendicular to the street.
    • Some people have said that the sign is difficult to read if it is parallel to the street.
    • With the way that the proposal shows the sign perpendicular to the street, with the way that Allen curves by the park, it would only be easier to read when coming west on Allen but more difficult to read coming east on Allen.
    • If the sign is perpendicular to the street, it would need to be double-sided.
      • Kristen to get a quote from the company on this. 
  • The Board will be including the cost of this sign in next year’s budget.
  • This same company has also proposed wayfinding pillars for the neighborhood. This could be considered on a main street in Fairmount in the future. 

National Night Out Announcement: Barbara Crotty

• This will be held at Fire Station Community Center like last year and they are organizing food trucks, bounce houses, etc. 
• FNA will have two tables – one for Citizens on Patrol/ Code Blue, plus a table for FNA.
• Volunteers will be needed for the FNA table. 
• This will be on October 3^rd at 6PM. More information to come via social media later.
• This event will also be considered the FNA October neighborhood social.

Arts Goggle and Fairmount: Kelcie Cox

• FNA will be an official sponsor of Arts Goggle this year.
• We got a booth for half price due to a deal between Kelcie and Ted with Sports Graphics. We could get the booth for free if we sell all the tee shirts we order.
• Any neighborhood groups who want to be part of the booth should reach out to Kelcie. 
• Volunteers will be needed to man the booth.
  • Fairmounties were there last year. 
  • These will likely be one-hour shifts. 
• Arts Goggle is October 21^st from noon – 10PM, but the booth will need people earlier than noon to set up also.
• Kelcie is working to come up with a raffle idea. Reach out to her if you have any ideas.

Neighborhood Sponsored Fall Festival: Kelcie Cox

• October 29^th 6 – 8PM

• Ideas: Trunk or treat, blow up screen with a movie, twinkly lights around for the vibe.
• Reach out to Kelsie if you want to help.

Finance Previous Year Budget Audit: Lauren Wu

• The Audit Committee met to review the 2023 finances and bank account to check that all FNA money is accounted for and concluded that everything is as it should be.
• Lauren provided the general membership with the statement of activity, actual costs from last year, budget from last year, and new proposed budget for next year.
• There is an extra line item at the bottom of the page for office supplies that should be crossed off.
• The water bill for the green space got broken out in the budget as a separate line item and the cost was offset. This was not included in the past – probably because the sprinklers were not working and there was not a water bill.
• The discretionary budget increased because we went over last year for the fair that was done as part of Home Tour. This is included in the budget for new ideas in the future.
• The Board will meet October 9^th (2^nd Monday of October) to approve the 2024 budget.
• The Board will send out the proposed budget ahead of the General Meeting for membership to review. This may be via email or on the website – TBD.
• The General Membership will vote on the proposed 2024 budget on October 23^rd (4^th Monday of October).
• Email Lauren if you have questions or suggested changes for the new budget before next month’s general meeting (finance@historicfairmount.com) – under “about us” on the website. Emails go to the correct people in Board positions, despite changing administrations.

Resident Book Promotion: Not present. 

Daggett PTA: Susan Harper

• Susan proposed trash cans around the property to the school because a lot of people use the field or run the track and it would be useful, so people have somewhere to throw their trash away.
  • No one from the school has reached back out. 
  • Daggett ES trash cans were done by the PTA and another group. 
  • Per Daggett ES, the custodians take the trash out.
• There are two ongoing projects at Daggett:
  • Track and field updates. This is being discussed at the FWISD level.
  • Librarian reading challenge list of 9 books. There is an Amazon wish list where you can contribute to this.
    • Daggett MS library page has a QR code to the Amazon wish list. 
    • Books will be delivered to the school via Amazon when you purchase. 
    • The Amazon list shows which books are a priority, based on curriculum. 
    • Cristina (Promotions) to include this information in the next newsletter and push on social media.
• Kristen Klade is on the Daggett parent advisory committee and can field any questions. 
• The next physical newsletter will be sent out before Festivus in December.

Fairmount Community Library: Carol Standerfer

• Carol Stanford, retired FWISD librarian, on behalf of the Fairmount Community Library brought bookmarks showing where to access the library’s catalog of books.
• The Library is working on determining their working hours in the next couple of weeks based on when people attend. Attend in the next couple of weeks at those times in order to influence the open hours. 
• The Library has books, DVDs, audiobooks, and rentable space. Book clubs are open to meet at the Library for free. 
• The Library will offer classes as well, including for: expecting mothers, new families, crafts, book club for teens, etc.
• Potentially bringing back Martin Dahl’s Preservation class for new people to the neighborhood to get used to the historic guidelines, etc.
• The Library is accepting book donations, but on a schedule. The largest gap in content is in Young Adult and children’s books.

Misc: 

• Kim Worly:
  • There is an art installation in the park that is missing an address. The Fort Worth Art Commission is supposed to have a budget for this. This was something that fell through the crack with administration changes years ago. 
  • The next street bond to come up is in 2026.
    • These happen every 4 years, so the last one was in 2022. Fairmount missed out on getting the bond benefits last year. 
    • Last year, Ryan’s Place organized street captains and took pictures/ cataloged TPW issues and sent all the info to the city to get bond money to fix. Items included sidewalks, streets, and other TPW items. 
    • According to the city, the best way to catalog this information is to submit items on the MyFW App as you see them. The city will look at this info when they put the 2026 Bond numbers together. 
    • FNA Infrastructure (Kristen) and Communications (Cristina) to promote the MyFW App for this.

Adjourn: 8:01 PM

You are officially invited to join the Fairmount Neighborhood Association, Fairmount Historic District, City of Fort Worth, Tarrant County, and the State of Texas (did we forget anyone?) in celebrating the Vinnedge-Loicano House receiving its official Texas State Historic Marker!

When: 2pm–10pm, September 16, 2023

Where: 2008 Fairmount, Ave, Fort Worth, TX 76110

Schedule:

• 2pm: Guest speakers include Tarrant County Commissioner Roy Charles Brooks serving and representing the constituents of Precinct One in Fort Worth and Ann Zadeh, Executive Director, Community Design Fort Worth and former Fort Worth City Councilwoman for District 9. (Please bring a chair if you wish to be seated.)
• 3pm: Pop-Up Tasting at Lockwood Distilling, BYO bevies, food to share
• 4pm–8pm: Live Music!
  • 4:00ish – James Hinkle & Gary Grammer 
  • 6:00ish – Terry Rasor Trio
  • 8:00ish – The Buddy Whittington Band

Call to order: 7:00 PM

Andrew Epps welcomed group

Office Updates

• Code Compliance
  • 30 code complaints in the past month, 14 violations including illegal dumping
  • Priority Repair Program
    • Must apply in person at 818 Missouri Ave. 
    • Limit increased from $5,000 to $20,000
  • Reminder to adhere to waste services rules
    • Garbage and Recycling carts must have their lids closed; if the cans or overfilled and the lids cannot be closed the trucks will not pick up.
    • Boxes must be broken down before they are put in recycling cart.
      • Please put boxes in recycling not trash or out for bulk pick up.
    • Trash must be in tied plastic garbage bags inside the trash bin, no unbagged items are allowed in the cart, no bags outside of the cart, and no bags stacked on the cart.
• Deputy Constable
  • Officers are getting their car seat installer certifications in October
  • Have some funding for free car seats for those in need
  • Helping patrol around Elementary schools during pick up/drop off times to deter speeding
  • Prescription Drug Take Back event will occur in October. Date and location TBD.
• NPO
  • SWAT was called out to a home on Chase Ct. due to a person in a home refusing to leave
  • Home invasion in Fairmount- person was arrested
  • Police Department helping with traffic during school pick up/drop off times
  • Police Department and City Council met to discuss rise in homelessness in Magnolia area.
    • Still working with HOPE and CIT to get individuals connected to resources
    • Possibly more positions for the CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) have been approved
    • Police in Texas are required to have 40 hours of Mental Health training

Code Blue

• Still needing volunteers- contact Rey F. for application
• Neighborhood Night Out will be held in partnership with Fire Station Community Center on October 3^rd

Speed Barriers- Austin Reed

• Can apply online at the fortworthtexas website for Neighborhood Traffic Calming barriers to be installed on streets.
• Need neighborhood association or group consensus for need, then application is reviewed, field visit is conducted, and neighborhood engagement meeting held.

Fairmount Community Library- Kat Valentine

• 9/9 is official reopening celebration
  • 2-6 pm, all ages welcome
• Need volunteers for operating hours
• Will have tutoring, space available for rent to host clubs/events, kids programs the 3^rd Saturday of the month (will include music, story time, and a craft), a music and movement class, play studio, and sensory station.
• Free, but donations are welcome.
• 9/23 Bookworm Pub N Grub Crawl on Magnolia
  • Tickets available at fairmountcommunitylibrary.org
  • $12 for wristbands in advance, $15 day of

Academy4

• Nonprofit needing volunteers to mentor 4^th grade students in Fort Worth
• 1 Friday per month from 1-2:30pm (9 times per school year)
• Need subs as well, if you are not available for all 9 dates
• Supports high needs schools and helps every student in the 4^th grade

Board Elections

• Director of Membership- Barbara Crotty
• Director of Promotions- Kelci Cox
• Director of Communications- Christina Gore
• Director of Infrastructure- Kristin Klade
• Director of Administration- Clarissa Epps
• President- Andrew Epps
  • No nominations from the floor
  • Motion and approved to elect all nominees

Fairmount Home Tour Audit Debrief- Kelci Cox

• Revenue was $17,807.51
• Costs were $5,935.62
• Profit of $11,871.89

Reminder that 2024 Budget Approval will occur at October general meeting

• Budget will be released prior to the next meeting giving members time to review

Reminder of Historic Plaque Event

• At 2pm on 9/16 at 2008 Fairmount. Celebrating historic designation.
• State will have speakers presenting and to talk about the house.
• Lockwood Distillery will have a pop up tasting in the backyard.
• Live music from 4-8 pm with different genres of music including blues and americana.
• Bring snacks and chairs. 

FNA Social Update- Barbara Crotty

• September Social will be on 9/16 at the Plaque Party
• Holiday Party will be 12/3 at Arts Fifth Avenue
• Membership needs help with planning the monthly socials, contact Barbara at membership@historicfairmount.com if you are interested in volunteering. 

Open Discussion and Closing Comments

• Concerns about train horn at night- quiet zone will go into effect in 2024
• Question as to whether golf carts and 4 wheelers are allowed to drive on streets in neighborhood, FNA will look into

Adjourn: 8:00 PM