Meeting Notes: General Membership – January 27, 2025
Attendees: See sign in sheet
Minutes:
Call to order: 7:01 PM
Andrew Epps welcomed everyone and called the meeting to order.
Officer Updates:
- Neighborhood Police Officer (NPO):
- Officer Clint Moore is the new NPO for the area.
- He is a marked officer in unit 489 and has been patrolling in the area for 4 years.
- Current happenings: primarily property crimes, make sure your doors are locked, keep items out of your car, violence has only really been around the Hemphill corridor.
- Felipe is a homeless mentally ill individual who has been around recently, lots of Facebook posts, and he seems to be targeting women. He hasn’t done anything specific yet, aside from exposing himself to a worker at Vice Burger, but it is unclear at this point if she wants to press charges. Recommend calling anything in if he is doing anything suspicious. He might be a resident – not sure where exactly. No criminal complaints right now, so no warrants can be issued.
- There has been a population boom in the city, but the police department has not been able to keep up equally with the growth.
- If something is happening immediately, call 911, not the NPO. Contact the NPO for long-term issues or updates.
- Officer Moore works with city council and sends reports upward. He mainly works on the weekends currently.
- Approximately 10-20 percent of calls become criminal actions/ not resolved.
- Arrestees are taken to downtown jail. If above a class C, then transferred to Tarrant County for posting bond etc.
- Officer Moore does not take many to the diversion center since he has not had a lot of success with this in the past and taking an individual to the diversion center is up to the judgement of the police officer.
- Nearby JPS hospital could be causing the increase in foot traffic around the neighborhood because mentally ill patients from all over Tarrant County are dropped off here for help and can end up walking out.
- Code Compliance:
- Not in attendance
- Deputy Constable:
- Not in attendance
- Fort Worth City Council District 9 Representative:
- Anthony Rojas is in attendance.
- 1600 Washington:
- Will not discuss 1600 Washington much since that is on the agenda.
- (See notes under Landmark Commission Update)
- Homelessness efforts – There was a big presentation on this to the council people. Reach out to the office for access to this and about the pilot program.
- Mistletoe Blvd project is going very slowly. Likely will not be breaking ground as expected this year. Beck is not happy. This is an accessible public transport project.
- Downtown public library is coming back. Current tenants are moving out and city will scope the building and engage the community for programs etc.
- All this info is from the District 9 Newsletter, so sign up to receive this information directly.
December FNA Social Update:
- Holiday Party was December 2024 at Arts 5th Ave
- No live entertainment, but playlist music instead for more socializing opportunities, and was catered by Hao Tran.
- Remember to renew membership each calendar year.
- $20 for an individual or $25 for a household membership
- January Fairmount Social was this past weekend and was announced on social media. This was a Texas Historic Landmark plaque reveal and is the second one in the neighborhood since Covid.
- February social will likely be on February 16th in the afternoon at the Fairmount Community Library with activities for kids. FNA will publicize this on social media once it is finalized.
- Let Membership director know when you know of a new neighbor or someone new to the neighborhood so that we can send them a new members welcome packet.
2024 School Donations Update:
- FNA donated $500 each to the 4 schools in the neighborhood, per the last year’s budget.
- We gave the money to the PTAs to use as they see fit.
- EM Dagget PTA president will come to the next FNA Board Meeting to express their gratitude.
- FNA will be looking to expand these efforts in the future.
Landmark Commission Update:
- 1600 Washington Ave – This house was arsoned earlier in 2024 and has gone through ownership changes. The current owner is developer.
- Two Landmarks Commission (HCLC) Meetings ago, they were approved for demolition of the historic structure due to it being deemed beyond repair.
- Since being approved for demolition, the developer had to re-appear at Landmarks to get approval for the new construction.
- Prior to the HCLC meeting, according to standard practice, the developer provided City of Fort Worth Preservation department with the proposed drawings. City staff shared these with the FNA Historic Preservation directors, and they shared with the FNA Historic Preservation Committee.
- The city preservation staff and FNA Historic Preservation committee reviewed the proposed plans in light of the published Fairmount historic guidelines and provided the Landmarks Commission with ample documentation on what does not meet guidelines, how they can be solved, questions on how this structure with twice as many restrooms as before would impact existing city sewer systems, how parking would be addressed, and suggested a revise and resubmit.
- HCLC decided to move forward despite city preservation staff and FNA recommendations.
- After the Landmarks Commission meeting, the Fairmount community became aware of what the developer had proposed on the site and had plenty to say on Facebook.
- FNA continued to be involved and responding to comments to let the community know what has been happening in the background ahead of the HCLC meeting.
- Due to the Landmarks Commission not taking city and FNA comments into account, FNA reached out to our city councilperson Elizabeth Beck to see how she could help us moving forward with this case since this appears to be an attempt to create a precedent in Fairmount.
- After Beck’s office got involved and began looking into this, they discovered that the proposed design would require a zoning change. The existing building was a duplex, and the site is zoned for that (2.75 units), but the proposed is a duplex in the main building with two bedrooms on each side, plus two studios above the two-car garage structure.
- Beck typically stays out of the early parts of re-zoning items to allow for the developer to meet with the neighborhoods and affected people before stepping in and working on negotiations.
- On this case, no decisions will be made without the developers meeting with the FNA and Beck.
- Nothing is going forward currently on new construction. This is pending what the developer wants to do – either revise the plans to fit within current zoning and resubmit to go back to HCLC or stick with the original drawings and go forward with a zoning change, which would need to go through city council.
- Historic cases go through the Landmarks Commission, but zoning cases go through City Council.
- Any individual can write to Elizabeth Beck’s office to voice their opinion on the project.
- If you have any questions on this, direct them to the FNA president or historic preservation officer (their emails can be found on the FNA website).
Home Tour Updates:
- FNA is working on home tour planning already.
- We are looking for volunteers for the planning committee.
- Email promotions director if you want to get involved.
- Home Tour will be on Mother’s Day weekend (Saturday and Sunday), as typically.
Public Safety Updates:
- Richard, Kim, Johnny, and Paul have completed Citizens on Patrol training.
- Training happens once a month, if there is enough interest.
- Once a year is also the Citizens Police Academy. This is a 12-week course that goes in detail on how the police system works. Ray will announce when this becomes available.
- Kim has started to get weekly reports on what’s happening in the neighborhood (from the NPO) and will begin posting these to the neighborhood Facebook page soon as well. Officer Moore notes that these reports include not just Fairmount, but also surrounding areas.
Additional items to note:
- City Council Elections
- May 3, 2025
- FNA will be inviting District 9 council people who will be running to speak at FNA general meetings coming up in the next few months leading up to elections so that we can hear directly from candidates.
- FNA Speaker series nominations
- Send suggestions to president@historicfairmount.com
- There seems to be good traction with general membership when people come speak to Fairmount at our general meetings, so we would like to continue that in 2025 by inviting people to speak at our neighborhood meetings.
- Someone from Landmarks Commission? District 9 Candidates? Someone from the City of Fort Worth?
- FNA will announce via Facebook and email if there is a speaker planned at a specific meeting.
- New FNA Mailing Address
- 2459 Forest Park Blvd #151 Fort Worth, TX 76110
- We had to change the FNA mailing address due to Biz Drop closing.
- Let FNA know if you see an incorrect address anywhere.
Adjourn: 7:55 PM
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