Dallas City Hall
District 12
Enews
February 10, 2022
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Connecting You With City Information, News, and Resources |
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Councilmember Cara Mendelsohn
Council appointments:
*Chairman, Government Performance and Financial Management Committee
*Chairman, Ad Hoc Committee on General Investigations and Ethics
*Vice Chairman, Public Safety Committee
*Housing and Homeless Solutions Committee
*Transportation Committee
*Ad Hoc Committee on COVID-19
*Ad Hoc Committee on Legislative Affairs
*Regional Transportation Council Member
*North Central Texas Council of Governments Executive Committee
Other city-related appointments/elected positions:
*National League of Cities Youth, Education, and Families Council
*Board of Directors, National League of Cities Women in Municipal Government
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Your City Government
Nothing is as powerful as your involvement and voice in city government. National politics may dominate the news, but it is your local governments, city, county and school districts, that most affect your quality of life.
Tonight DART is hosting a meeting about the Cotton Belt/Silver Line. If you live in the Bowie, Brentfield, Jackson, or Rose Haggar elementary school attendance boundaries, this will impact you DURING CONSTRUCTION which will begin soon and when operations begin our neighborhoods will be transformed. Many residents who HAVE NO IDEA this is happening, although it has been in the works for more than 15 years and was approved during the prior council member's term. Please share with your neighbors the importance of staying aware of the coming construction. I continue to advocate for additional safety and quality of life considerations and holding DART accountable to their agreements with the City of Dallas and our construction standards. The community group, Neighbors Sharing Cotton Belt Information is doing great work to help keep people educated and engaged. Please consider joining their Facebook group if you live in the area. https://www.facebook.com/groups/345535752800481 More info on tonight's DART meeting below.
Your input and civic participation are welcome. While the state and county have completed redistricting, the city is currently undergoing the process. The last public input session is this Saturday at 3:30 at Timberglen Recreation Center. It may sound boring, but it determines what city council district you will be in. There is an article about this below.
If you would like to volunteer for a board or commission, please reach out to Luis (email below) so we can set up a time to talk.
Take care, Cara
Council Liaison: Madison.Johnson@dallascityhall.com
Council Assistant:
Luis.Delgado@dallascityhall.com
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DART Silver Line - Virtual Community Meeting |
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To join the Dallas community meeting you may use the Microsoft Teams link below. For other meetings please head to:
Phone #: 469-391-0632
Conference ID: 666 822 464
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Because of redistricting at the state level, every person in all parts of District 12 will have a new state representative and new state senator. If you live in the Collin County portion of the district, you'll also have a new US Congressman. You can check on the changes based on your specific address by inputting your address to the box embedded in this article:
The Redistricting Commission will host their final hybrid town hall on Thursday, February 10 at Dallas City Hall – Council Chambers – 6EN at 6:30 p.m. This meeting will be offered in person and virtual via Webex. This is the last opportunity for residents to join a town hall virtually. A Spanish and an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter will also be available.
The final town hall will be held this Saturday, February 12 at 3:30 p.m. at Timberglen Recreation Center, 3810 Timberglen Rd, Dallas, TX 75287. It was originally planned for last Saturday, February 5 but was postponed due to the weather. This town hall is available for in person participation, only. Individuals who wish to speak during a Redistricting Town Hall should register at bit.ly/2021RDCTH by 10 a.m. the day of the meeting. All speakers who signed up before the deadline will have three minutes to speak about anything related to the redistricting process. The public may also address the commission virtually or in person during their regular meetings. For a complete list of meetings, and additional information, go to www.DallasRedistricting.com or call 214-671-6197.
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Family Gateway North Update |
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Twice a month we take over the North Central Police Station community room to talk with you. Stop by to get help with any city service, share your view on an issue facing the city council, ask any question, or just say hi!
Walk In office hours are 2-4 each day. Here are the dates:
January 28, February 11, February 25 (Cara will not be there but Madison & Luis will!), March 11, March 25, April 8, April 22, May 13, May 27
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City of Dallas 50/50 Sidewalk Program |
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Baby Day is a statewide celebration of the first three years of life. It is sponsored by the non-profit First3Years, which is hosting its fourth free annual online celebration February 6-12th that includes a week of educational activities for children, parents, professional caregivers, and family members including music, art, yoga, reading, dance, and educational sessions to support the healthy development of children.
This is a fabulous effort and I am proud to participate by reading two stories to children on their site. Both were favorites of my children. Check out the site for amazing resources and activities. Happy Baby Day!
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Park Improvements Happening! |
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It has been so fun to watch the Pickleball courts being built at Campbell Green Park! This has been the most requested amenity for our area.
We're waiting on the park plan from the Parks and Recreation Department for the new dog park at Meadowcreek and LaManga, and then we'll have a town hall meeting to get your input. STAY TUNED!!!
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What Needs to Be Addressed?? NOW is the time to speak up! |
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Do you think there should be improvements for pedestrians or cyclists in Dallas? How about roadway issues that are unsafe or in poor condition or designed poorly? Problems with transit? Now is the time to submit your comments.
I hear from people often on these issues, but NOW IS THE TIME to submit your comments and suggestions officially to the The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTOG). This will actually get attention if you fill it out. There have been approximately 300 comments so far, mostly from Plano. Take a minute and speak up for what your neighborhood needs or what you see needs improvement on your daily commute.
*Protected bike lanes needed? (connections to safely get to White Rock Lake, Richardson, Plano, daily activities)
*Pedestrian safety issues sidewalks, signal timing, road striping, road speed, etc... (near school zones on Arapaho, Coit at LaManga, Campbell, Frankford, Preston, Rosemeade, Vail, Trinity Mills)
*Roadway issues (vehicles drive too fast, high number of accidents on street, racing on the street, street is not designed properly, road is in poor condition, especially tollway @ Frankford, Midway, Coit, Marsh @ Frankford)
*Transit issues (buses not available, no bus route where needed, bus doesn't run the hours needed, need bus shelter, need sidewalk leading to bus stop, and all things Cotton Belt/Silver Line)
Interactive Public Input: Map Your Experience:
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Oncor Pruning - District 12 |
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We have strong winds coming with the winter weather. The wind, moving tree branches more than we expect, is the main culprit for power outages in our area. PLEASE see below for Oncor tree pruning. If your area is on the list, they will notify you with a door hanger before they cut your trees if it is needed to protect the electric lines. They use an arborist, safety protocols, and they have the legal right to cut branches that are near electrical wires, even those on your property. Thank you for your cooperation. |
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Construction on Hillcrest and Campbell |
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The current construction on Hillcrest and Campbell is not part of DART Silver Line work, it's just fixing the roads. With the DART construction coming soon, we'll be glad to have this done before it begins! Please drive safely as the lanes shift for closure. |
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Trees on Coit in Front of Adventure Landing |
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The big, mature trees in front of Adventure Landing are being removed because they sit on top of utilities that have to be moved with the DART Cotton Belt/Silver Line construction. Yesterday, the City Council approved DART's payment into a special mitigation fund to restore trees along the Cotton Belt/Silver Line as close to the place they were removed as possible. |
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You may have noticed there are "hoods" over the bus stop signs around town. DART is revamping the bus routes, and some routes will end soon and some will expand service. If you ride the bus, please make sure you are checking the DART website to stay in the loop about the changes. Their goal is to reduce routes with very low ridership and expand frequency (how often the bus comes) for higher ridership routes.
As a member of the transportation committee, Regional Transportation Council, and board member of the North Central Texas Council of Governments, I am hoping we will see greater coordination and service levels for Dallas residents in ways that provide meaningful transportation alternatives for our residents. With the $1.9 billion dollar Silver Line/Cotton Belt as the major expansion effort for DART, we are sadly locked in a project that will not provide ridership, improve air quality, or set DART on a course for stability or growth. I believe we need to seriously rethink our Dallas transportation priorities.
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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
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