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Writer's pictureFriends of Bachman Lake
Dec 14, 20206 min read

December Newsletter

"“A candle is a small thing. But one candle can light another. And see how its own light increases, as a candle gives its flame to the other. You are such a light.” —Moshe Davis


THE ESSENTIALS...


The last month of 2020 is upon us and most everyone is awaiting next year with arms wide open. With all that this year threw at us, it often felt that we didn't get much done, but upon looking back we were pleasantly surprised that this little outfit did indeed make a difference! We also humbly recognize that without you, nothing is possible, so thank you!


You will recall that NCTCoG is setting up a plan for improvements and the foundation will be built by community input. Please make sure you take the Bachman Area survey to weigh in on the good, the bad and the ugly in NW Dallas. Then, if you have extra time and want to get a sense of what is being considered, take a look at the Northwest Highway Feasibility Study released this week. This is for the stretch between Inwood Road and Hillcrest. There are some radical ideas in there, from a double decker road to a tunnel! NCTCoG is seeking community feedback until 12/22.


Our friendly library managers would like us to remind you that residents of the city of Dallas may get a free library card and request a wi-fi hotspot to check out, in order to use the internet at home. People may contact the library at 214-670-6376, option 3, or email Bachman Lake Library for more information. Their email is:





***Please continue to share our newsletter with your neighbors and friends!***

 

NEWS


Dogs are Looking for Their Master [Plan]


A fellow dog lover contacted Councilman Narvaez last week regarding a possible dog park at Bachman Lake. He in turn sent her to Tim Dickey, D6 Parks Board Member who put her in touch with Friends of Bachman Lake. We think her idea has great merit and has been very well thought out. Unfortunately, as she recounted to us, the Regional Aquatic Center is being planned for the area she suggests. It is unfortunate that over the year and a half since our inception, Friends of Bachman Lake has been singularly focused on saving the park from the creation of a north entrance for Love Field. Otherwise, we would certainly have been continuously pushing our original ask for a Master Plan for the park, one that considers the needs and interests of the community. At this point millions have been committed for an Aquatic Center and a Skate Park with no one having asked for community input, which is exactly what a Master Plan would do.

We should be grateful to get some dollars from the City of Dallas, but we'd like to ask why it's too late to pause on the regional aquatic center. Trees have yet to be destroyed and major capital investment has yet to commence. Did you know that the aquatic center will only be open 3 months out of the year and will carry a per-person entrance fee? If we feel uninformed, we imagine you are too! As we are learning about the differences between regional, community and neighborhood aquatic centers vis-à-vis a splash park, we will take the time to educate you as well. It's important that we all be informed prior to the planned Parks Department update at Neighbors in the Know in February 2021.


None of us planned for COVID, but if there is one thing that we have learned in 2020, it is that we can and do need to adapt to our circumstances. We hope our city leadership can do the same and that they can humbly ask themselves and us, "what is best for the community in a post-COVID world?"


Here's Neva's letter.


Dear Councilman Narvaez,


With the help of the Friends of Bachman Lake, the lake and recreation area are attractive, accessible and an asset to the community. To enhance the park and continue to build community, we need a DOG PARK.


Many people in Northwest Dallas have dogs and this would be a great way to socialize the dogs and build community among neighbors. Space close to Webb Chapel could be converted to a Dog Park, which would include:


  1. Running / playing spaces for dogs.

  2. Fenced in spaces: One for Medium – Large dogs (about 2/3 of the space) and one for Small – Medium Dogs (about 1/3 of the space).

  3. Ground covered by Wood Chips, which would eliminate the need to maintain the space by mowing and it could be a way for the City of Dallas to recycle chips.

  4. Existing concrete platform which could have benches, doggy bag stations and trash bins.

  5. 15-space parking area for Dog Park Visitors.

  6. 1-space parking for Rotating/Approved list of 1) Dallas Animal Services 2) The Big Fix and 3) Providers of Low-Cost Vaccines, Boosters as well as spaying and neutering. The Big Fix could also have mini-workshops on pet care, spaying, etc.

Dog Park Rules:

  • Friendly Dogs and Owners.

  • Dogs must be spayed or neutered.

  • Dogs must be up to date on shots.

I would be glad to work with you, with the Friends of Bachman Lake and with residents of Northwest Dallas to get their support.

Thank you for your consideration of this idea to promote good pet care and community. Neva



The new National Park Waterway is soooo close (...and yet so far)

Last month the Trinity River Paddling Trail was designated a National Recreation Trail. The Trinity River Paddling Trail is 130-miles long and currently contains 21 official canoe launches, one of those is in the Frasier Recreation Area - a hop, skip and a jump from Bachman Lake!


Here is an excerpt from the November 2nd press release: "The achievement was years in the making by Trinity Coalition, a Dallas-based nature-oriented nonprofit founded in 2015. Their goal is to transform the Trinity River Corridor into a nationally-recognized conservation and recreation area. National Recreation Trail status for the river is a significant step in accomplishing this mission. Trinity Coalition board chair Steve Smith stated, "This would never have happened without the encouragement and coordination from the North Central Texas Council of Governments." In 2018, Smith met with Edith Marvin, head of Environment & Development at NCTCOG. They developed an idea to assemble all the canoe launches that multiple cities along the Trinity River had built into a single, integrated paddling trail.


The impact of the National Park Service brand coming to the DFW region is game-changing. The NPS website receives over 100 million visits a year. With easy access to the area provided by DFW International Airport and Love Field, nature tourism in North Texas promises to grow exponentially.

More information at TrinityCoalition.org.


#OptOutside turns Black Friday green


Thank you to everyone who joined us on the Friday after Thanksgiving to #OptOutside and spend time enjoying and cleaning the creekside area of the Bachman Greenbelt instead of joining the shopping frenzy. There was indeed work to be done as you can see from the photos!








 

EVENTS


Our monthly plogging event is every 2nd Saturday of the month – at whatever time works for you! Bring one of those plastic bags we all have around the house and put it to good use. Walk the path or meander off of it and pick up trash. It’s great for the hamstrings! Give a shout-out to anyone you see walking around the lake with a plastic bag - they are clearly FoBLers!



Every second Monday of the month (6PM English and 7PM Spanish) we host a multi-neighborhood virtual meeting to review the major projects that affect our area. We are skipping the session in December and in January we have invited the Dallas Police Department, Code Compliance and Homeless Solutions (1/11 at 6PM).




Also, don't forget to join us at our monthly ‘meeting of the minds’ at Bluffview Growler. It's on the 4th Wednesday of every month from 4-6PM. No RSVP needed. Note that this activity is subject to COVID related restrictions and proper social guidelines.






 

OUR FAVORITE IMAGES THIS MONTH



Instagram photo credits:

 

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