Hi, this will be a short enews with information about community meetings, DART Cotton Belt/Silver Line meeting (please read the changes below), District 12 meetings & a poker room update.

August 1st means the city council is back in action! As always, the full council meets on the first 4 Wednesdays of the month. We hold two meetings that are briefings on various topics, and two business meetings. Meetings begin at 9 am and you are welcome to come to city hall (if you let Luis know in advance, he'll help get you a parking pass), or watch online through the city website. You're also welcome to give public comment on any topic or a specific agenda item. To sign up, please go to the City Secretary's webpage: https://dallascityhall.com/government/citysecretary/Pages/CCrules.aspx

City Council committee meetings are usually held Mondays and Tuesday, but days can move based on holidays and conferences. The calendar of meetings is on the city website: www.dallascityhall.com.

There are a lot of district meetings coming up, and I hope you'll attend any or all that interest you. We strive to help keep you up to date with what is happening at city hall and hear your input and ideas. See you soon, Cara

Council Liaison: Madison.Johnson@dallas.gov

Council Assistant: Luis.Delgado@dallas.gov

This Thursday DART will hold their 2x a year meeting. I asked DART to provide a more detailed meeting and increase the length of the meeting so residents have time to ask questions. I have seen a draft of the presentation and I encourage you to attend. The new schedule is:

6:30 - 7:00 pm - Open house, talk with DART representatives informally

7:00 - 9:00 pm - DART presentation and resident questions

The agenda includes:

You will be able to ask questions at a microphone. If you prefer, you can submit written questions.

You will be able to submit formal comments that will be part of the public record. Yes, you can put in your comments that you would like a supplemental EIS so you have an opportunity to see data, ask questions, give input on elements that were not included or were vague in the FEIS.

The traffic signal at Hillcrest & McKamy is expected to become active the week of August 8th. The median on Hillcrest between McKamy and Wester Way north to Starbuck will be removed this month, likely starting the week of August 14. When AWH starts to remove the median, they will close the center lanes and vehicles will be limited to the outer lanes between Dye on the south and Starbuck on the north. Once the median is removed, they will create a crossover, which will result in one northbound lane and one southbound lane indefinitely. The work they are permitted to do is for utilities, not construction, but it is likely the work will extend into the time construction begins. According to the ILA, they will be able to close Hillcrest to all vehicles for 26 weeks during construction.

The Cotton Belt was approved by the Dallas City Council in 2018. I was elected in May 2019. There is no way to stop the Cotton Belt/Silver Line from being built and activated. The construction will be much worse than most people realize. It will take much longer to get anywhere in our area by car, bike or walking while construction is occurring. You will need to rethink how long it takes to travel anywhere, including to schools, work, or daily activities. Please talk to your children about train and construction safety.

If you missed our last D12 town hall (virtual), you can watch a recording of it with this link. Thank you to the Code Compliance Department for being my special guest, Luis for his technical assistance, and the D12 residents for the great questions! https://youtu.be/afTKYkijlaY

There are LOTS of meetings scheduled in August and we hope you'll find a way to participate and make your voice heard.

Need help, got a question, or want to give input?

Email: Cara.Mendelsohn@DallasCityHall.com

Office phone: (214) 670-4067

Text phone: (214) 490-1036