January 25, 2021 FNA General Membership Meeting

View a recording of the January meeting here.

Start: 7:00pm

Ruth Assi – FW Community Engagement Office

  • Places to go to find information about the city
  • Closest community resources
  • OneAddress.FortWorthTexas.gov
    • Search public information available to everyone
    • Can search residential and commercial resources
    • Resources appear based on the address you enter into the search bar
    • Can drill deeper by clicking the plus sign next to a name or address
    • Use MyFW app to report any potholes, high grass, code concerns, and will be routed to the appropriate department

NPO – Officer Garner 

817-944-1316 

isaihgarner@fortworthtexas.gov

  • Stats have been posted on NextDoor
  • Porch stealing was going on, but there has been an arrest for someone who they think has been responsible for majority
  • Indecent exposure warrant has been issued for the person reported by the neighborhood. Not apprehended yet.
  • Bike thief has a warrant for his arrest, but has not been aprehended yet
  • If you see the people that have the warrants out for their arrest call 911 first then call NPO

Ann Zadeh – City Council Member

  • Neil Notes has been hired as the new police chief
  • 20+ year FWPD veteran
  • High Speed Rail
    • Connects Houston to the Metroplex and we want to have a stop between the two cities
    • 2 meetings are public and can be attended by anyone in the community
  • Redistricting
    • Independent commission has been brought up by members of the community
    • Link on the city website with all the meeting notes and information are available
    • Majority of the council chose to go through a task force instead of an independent commission
    • Final report will be handed over in March
    • Redistricting will not be ready by the election in May
    • There is a possibility to still do an independent commission after the election depending in the make up of the council
  • Question about the Historic Preservation Staffing
    • 1.5 staff member
    • Not enough to be proactive and responsive 
    • Please make it known if there are departmental changes communities are wanting to expand or change

FNA will be introducing candidates that will be running in the upcoming election in the meetings from now until May.

Kristen McCurdy – Home tour director

  • The hope is to have a hybrid in person and virtual tour
  • Call for volunteers during Mother’s Day Weekend (May 8,9 2021)

Financials

  • Between Jan – December 2020 finished with a deficit of $4700
  • Checking: $6,721.00
  • Savings: $1,300.00
  • CD: $15,000.00
  • Festivus: $2,470 profit

Preston – Infrastructure

  • Sagebrook
    • Projected to finish in May over by Park Place (Everly Plaza)
    • The affordable housing initiative both failed to get state funding so the projects were scrapped.

Hemphill Corridor Taskforce

  • 30 day stay 
  • Trying to simplify what is actually being done and proposed with the zoning changes along Hemphill
  • Public meetings are Feb 2nd, 6th, 7th (Spanish only), 9th all on Zoom at 6pm
  • Outside in person meeting (socially distanced) is TBA
  • Taskforce is made up of representatives of the neighborhoods throughout the corridor

Lori – Promotions

  • A lot of the neighborhood participated since there was no set route
  • Shirts can still be reordered if you still want one and were not able to get one
  • Working on a parade for home tour
  • All coming events are committed to being safe and socially distanced
  • Please reach out if you would like to be involved in coming events

Rachel – Communications

  • E-mail newsletter are going out every week on Monday
    • covers neighborhood and city news
    • community resources and links
    • please sign up online
  • Quarterly newsletter will be released in February
  • Adspace is available for both newsletter formats

January 31 is the deadline to renew your FNA membership and have a voting voice in the neighborhood

Michael – Preservation

  • Free home research
  • Only includes the exterior of the home
  • 2225 Fairmount
    • Stop work order issued to bring back the historic features from the demolished porch
    • They are planning on bringing it back
    • No work should be done until they submit plans

Jean-Carlo – Administration

  • Look up the minutes  on the website under news-> minutes
  • Smile.Amazon.com -> Fairmount Neighborhood Association

Membership drive: What we do

  • No truck zone on Allen
  • Worked with a developer to make sure that their building would fit in with the neighborhood
  • Adjusted to the virtual environment
  • Passed a budget
  • Donated PPE to Dagget
  • Set up Halloween festivities that were safe for children

Neighborhood USA is coming to USA

  • Susan Harper is leading the call for volunteers to have a large representation for Fairmount 

Fernando Peralta – Neighborhood Association President for Las Familias de Rosemont

  • Running for city council seat district 9
  • Involved in many local community charities and initiatives
  • Taking part in a couple listening circles to make sure the voices of the communities are heard
  • www.fernandoperalta.com
  • calendarly.com
    • can schedule 30 min face to face meetings to listen to the concerns of the community members
  • Questions:
    • Do you support an independent redistricting commission?
      • Hard yes
      • Need to be able to have the voices heard without external pressure
    • Slow the development of multifamily housing and what do you believe is the need for affordable housing?
      • We need to listen to the communities to know what direction to go
      • Affordable housing is important, but there needs to be community insolvent in the process
    • What are your views on Public Transportation?
      • Big advocate for expanding the accessibility to public transportation
    • What has been your involvement in schools?
      • Believes that the relationship between the community and the schools is integral and when it’s strong, the community benefits
    • How do we appeal the decision to the TPW decision to deny improving signage around our schools?

Links discussed in the meeting will be available on the official Fairmount page after the meeting.

Community Gardens:

  • $55 per plot and due in February
  • Gates have helped with vandalism
  • Volunteers are appreciated

February 22, 2021 is the next meeting.

Ending: 8:24pm