Meeting Notes: General Membership – July 28, 2025

July 29, 2025 Meeting Minutes, News

Attendees: See sign in sheet

Minutes:

Call to order: 7:02 PM

Andrew Epps welcomed everyone and called the meeting to order.

Officer Updates:

  • City Council District 9 Representative
    • Reach out to the District 9 office if you have any concerns or questions.
    • No specific updates.
  • NPO
    • Not in attendance.
  • Code Compliance
    • Not in attendance.

Neighborhood Updates:

  • Fairmount Community Garden
    • The new fence and gates have been done for a couple of months now.
    • The Garden also hosts monthly socials and gardening days. Go to their website to sign up for emails and get on the plot waiting list.

West Nile Virus Found in Fairmount Update – City of Fort Worth Environmental Services

  • Charles with the city of Fort Worth Environmental Services was in attendance.
  • West Nile Virus was found in Fairmount at the testing ground at the community garden.
  • Fairmount has had 3 positive tests this year, which is low based on the entire city testing counts.
  • The dangers of West Nile Virus were shared, and it was communicated how to avoid attracting mosquitos.
  • Follow the city services on social media to stay up to date on spraying.
  • Humans cannot transmit West Nile Virus to other humans, but mosquitos can transmit heartworms in pets.
  • The city sprays for mosquitos during non-peak times to lessen contact with people (9PM-3AM) and communicates spray times to the community via social media, emails to neighborhood leaders, and posted signage in the area.
  • Mosquito treatment supplies were handed out at the meeting (mosquito dunks to be used approximately once a month)

Roxanne Martinez, FWISD Trustee, District 9 Information

  • FNA invited Roxanne to introduce herself to the community due to recent happenings in Fort Worth ISD.
  • Roxanne is currently in her second term and is serving as the board president. She is also a mother of two kids attending High School in the district.
  • Lots of stuff happening in FWISD recently: teacher pay raises, passed school vouchers, adopted cell phone policy (students cannot have their phones out), federal funding should be released soon, Daggett MS will be part of a pilot program to provide 30 additional school days and will have transportation offered even if less than the 2 mile radius (this is funded by the state), master facility plan passed and included DeZavala ES closing not this year but next year, and an updated code of conduct
  • Roxanne does not want to have to close any schools, especially smaller A rated schools like DeZavala and is setting meetings with the deputy commissioner to discuss the impact of closing DeZavala. Why close it if the students are doing well? FWISD is still having these conversations.
  • Currently, two high performing ESs feeding into Daggett MS, so will need to put more support now into the MS level.
  • FWISD has been discussing with Austin ISD about options, since they closed schools in recent years – for example, using these facilities as resource centers or creating public/ private partnerships in education or housing for teachers/ first responders, etc.
  • FWISD does not have plans to sell these facilities at this time. If they were to look at selling, they could discuss giving “first dibs” to academies or “schools of choice” or as overflow campuses for other programs such as the Young Women’s Leadership Academy. Nash ES set to close this school year is also being considered for an Academy or Institute.
    • Not closing for facility reasons then, it seems like.
    • Not just about the facility, but also about the enrollment.
    • Schools of choice are not charter schools, but specialized FWISD schools where you apply to get in.
  • Dagget MS is being renovated currently and has therefore been taken off the potential closures list.
  • If the TEA recommends to FWISD to not close DeZavala ES and that it would negatively impact the district to close the school, then FWISD may reconsider the closure. There is a difference between recommendations and items that the district must comply with.
  • FWISD’s 5 year plan is fluid and can be changed.
  • Optimistic about not having a TEA takeover. Have been in discussions with other district that have been taken over. None have been taken over since Houston.
  • Residents should keep advocating to the FWISD school board to not close DeZavala and highlight positives happening at the school via email, social media, and school board meetings.

Fairmount Neighborhood Association Look Ahead

  • August Social Announcement – Barbara Crotty
    • The August FNA Member Social will be Sunday, August 24 at the Stan and Michael Tucker-McDermott house at 1831 Fairmount Ave at 5 PM – 7ish.
    • This will be an indoor/ outdoor event with a pool. Provide your own supervision for your own children. Bring a towel if you plan on getting in the pool and any side dish.
    • Burgers, Beyond Burgers, and drinks will be provided by the FNA.
    • Members only – Membership is $20-$25 for individual or a household and can be done online.
  • Ray has applications for anyone interested in serving on Code Blue.
  • FNA Communications:
    • Newsletter sign up is at the bottom of the FNA website.
    • The communications team is working on a new “event form” on the website if you want FNA to promote something coming up in the neighborhood.
  • FNA Board Nominating Committee – Andrew Epps
    • 2026 open FNA board positions:
      • President
      • Membership
      • Communications
      • Promotions
      • Administration
      • Infrastructure
    • Reach out if you’re interested in any positions. Read on the website for any descriptions. Every director could use a committee as well, so reach out if you’re open to helping in that capacity also or have an idea for a specific short term project.
    • The board nominating committee:
      • Nominating committee meeting to be sometime in August and will likely be a one or two meeting commitment.
      • Will need 2 general members to be on the nominating committee
      • The board has an idea of who we want to ask to fill the board positions, we will just need general members to run the ideas by before bringing it to the general membership.
      • Reach out to president or communications emails if you want to serve on the nominating committee.
      • The September meeting will propose the new officers slate and hold the election.

Misc.

  • FNA General Meeting Dates Change:
    • Due to the schedules of some potential incoming FNA board members, the board has discussed proposing to change the dates after September from the fourth week of the month from Mondays to Tuesdays instead.
    • This is still pending space reservation for the meeting at Arts Fifth Ave. FNA is in discussions with them to confirm.
    • The FNA meeting dates have been on different dates in years past.
    • This new date could conflict with city or ISD meetings, but this has not happened in the past. If needed, FNA board members can split up to cover both meetings or shift the FNA meeting date/ time, if needed.
    • There were no objections heard from the membership.
    • Andrew Epps proposes to change the FNA General Meeting date from the fourth Monday of the moth to instead be the fourth Tuesday of the month, beginning in October 2025.
      Fred Harper seconds the motion.
      The motion passes unanimously via voice vote.

Adjourn: 8:02 PM

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