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Sunday, October 20, 2019
October 10th, 2019
Hello District 12 residents,
Greetings from San Antonio. I’m attending the Texas
Municipal League conference with thousands of other elected
officials from Texas to learn more about how to better serve
you and the residents of Dallas. Here’s some news and
information to keep you up to date with things happening in
Dallas and at City Hall. If you have any questions or need
assistance, please email or call me at the contact
information at the bottom of this email.
LATE-NIGHT REC NIGHTS FOR TEENS
This program was in a pilot program this summer and it is
back for regular programming. Teens 13 – 17 years old are
welcome to drop in every month on the 1st Friday and
Saturday, 7pm -11 pm, FREE at Campbell Green Rec Center!
Sports, music, fitness, gaming, and more! For more
information, call 214.670.8847. #TREC9Teen
HATE THAT ROAD? LET’S FIX THE PROBLEMS!
We are searching for road projects to apply for some
specialty funding in Collin county. If you have some ideas,
please let us know asap! Projects we have already suggested:
the entrance and exit ramps for the tollway and Frankford,
redesign of elements for the intersection of Frankford and
Coit, and matching funds for traffic light improvements.
PANHANDLING
5 City Councilmembers brought forward a motion to
eliminate the panhandling ordinance as a response to a
specific lawsuit that has been filed against the city. This
did not go to a committee for a staff briefing or in-depth
discussion by council. I believe we need as many tools as
possible to keep our roadways clear for everyone’s safety.
At Tuesday’s meeting, I made a motion that this item be sent
to committee so we can look at ways to legally keep the
ordinance. It passed and will be on a future agenda. If you
would like to give input on this topic, please email me at
cara.mendelsohn@dallascityhall.com. As a note, I’ve
asked the transportation department to allow our district to
pilot a program with specialty signs to discourage giving
cash to panhandlers. I hope the signs will be installed in
early 2020.
RICHARDSON ISD ELECTION IS IN NOVEMBER
Richardson ISD is having a special election in November,
but none of the races are for Dallas residents who live in
District 12. With RISD’s newly created districts, all parts
of the City of Dallas District 12 are in the RISD District
1. The next RISD election for City of Dallas residents of
District 12 will be May 2021, which coincides with the city
election. Plano ISD and Carrollton FB ISD, also in District
12, do not have any items on the November ballot.
HILLCREST VILLAGE (HILLCREST @ ARAPAHO)
We had a wonderful groundbreaking ceremony for the park
and the cement has already been removed from the area that
will become the new Hillcrest Green Park. Thank you to the
Parks department for putting the event together and for the
folks at Shop Co who sponsored the delicious Steel City
Pops. The park portion of this development is expected to be
complete by the end of the summer 2020. Shop Co reports that
leasing is going well and they expect to have a big
announcement in the next few weeks. In the meantime, you can
drive by and see the new roofing that is going in and some
of the cosmetic changes that are starting.
PAVILLION SHOPPING CENTER (COIT @ CAMPBELL)
Are you wondering what is happening on the northwest
corner of the center? They have torn down the old Natural
Grocer’s location and are adding green space and patio space
to two new restaurants. Ebby Halliday is leaving the space
and the parking lot is being repaved.
COTTON BELT RAIL
Two big things have happened with this project in the
past few weeks. First, there is an item included in the City
Council resolution about the Cotton Belt that says there
must be an Inter Local Agreement (ILA) between the City and
DART that specifies that DART may not run freight on the
rail line. When I took office, I was made aware this was not
done. I immediately instructed our City Attorney to draft an
agreement and sent it to DART. After several revisions, the
ILA was sent two weeks ago. Second, several issues related
to the safety and quality of life for people living along
the rail line have emerged that need to be addressed. I have
worked to build agreement with District 11 Councilmember Lee
Kleinman and Assistant City Manager Majed Al-Ghafry to
respond to DART’s changes in design. To that end, a letter
was sent this week to DART that refuses the design of the
train going over Coit Road or elevated at Hillcrest. Also,
the new operational element of 20 minute headways from the
30 minutes described in the FEIS provides problems of
prolonged street closures for traffic and emergency response
vehicles. There is nothing easy about working with
DART, but for the first time, everyone at city hall is on
the same page to make sure Dallas residents have as little
negative impact as possible. Additional information about
the Cotton Belt rail can be found on the neighborhood group
site
www.DART-rider.com. I encourage you to sign up for their
emails and Facebook page.
COFFEE WITH CARA
Our next Coffee with Cara is October 29th from 10:00
am-11:30 am at Campbell Green Recreation Center with special
City of Dallas guests Jessica Galleshaw, Director of
Community Care, and David Noguera, Director of Housing. The
next event will take place on November 12th from 6:30
pm-8:00 pm at Shelton School with special City of Dallas
guests Michael T. Rogers, Director of Transportation, Terry
Lowery, Director of Dallas Water Utilities, and Jeremy Reed
from Code Compliance. At our December 3rd meeting
(6:30pm-8:00 pm at Campbell Green Recreation Center), we
will hear from DART CEO Gary Thomas.
WALK-IN HOURS – 10/17, 11/7, 11/21
It’s a long drive to City Hall, so we’ve started
providing two times a month where we hold office hours in
the district. You are welcome to just show up and we’ll do
all we can to help you. From putting in a service request,
asking a question, or giving input on an issue, we see
people on a first-come, first-served basis, generally for 15
minutes. Stop by from 2 – 5 pm on the first or third
Thursdays at the North Central Police Station on the corner
of Hillcrest and McCallum.
POTHOLE, STREET SIGN, CROSSWALK STRIPING
We have so many potholes in the district! I’ve been
submitting lots of requests, but if you drive over a
pothole, please report it. Also, if you see a street sign
down or crosswalk or street striping that needs to be
redone, report that too. Just call 311 or use the OURDALLAS
app. If you find that the work is not done in the timeframe
they give you on the call/app, please let my office know so
we can follow up.
NATIONAL NIGHT OUT
Thank you to all the groups that hosted National Night
Out events! I enjoyed attending 3 of them and hope to come
to even more next year! Make sure to register your event
with our office so your event can be listed on the city map.
SIDEWALK REPAIR
Every homeowner is responsible for maintaining their own
sidewalk. The city can help through the Sidewalk Replacement
Program. If you sign up, the City will send an inspector out
to give a quote, then you and the city split the cost. The
down side of this program is it does take a while (9 months
for my home), but it is an economical way to get your
sidewalk replaced.
NORTH DALLAS BUSINESS CRIME SUMMIT
November 12th, 2 – 4 pm. Please save the date for a
jointly hosted program designed for business owners and
managers to share current statistics, review what to do if
they experience a crime, how complaints are handled, and
give input. Event hosted by my office, District Attorney
John Creuzot, State Representative Ana-Maria Ramos, State
Senator Nathan Johnson, and the North Dallas Chamber of
Commerce.
CONNECT DALLAS
Tired of sitting in traffic? Your voice can be heard by
participating in the Dallas Strategic Mobility Plan Survey.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/connectdallas2019
OTHER EVENTS
October 19 – Pumpkins on the Plaza, 4 - 8 pm, Dallas City
Hall
October 27 – Halloween Safe-Tacular, 4 – 8 pm, Ron Kirk
Bridge
October 30 – Senior Health and Wellness Expo, 9 am –
noon, Walnut Hill Rec Center
October 31 – Decks in the Park Halloween Party, 5 – 10
pm, Klyde Warren Park
November 2 – Egg Fest Dallas, Sunnyland Furniture,
Grilling on the Green Egg benefitting The Family Place
Need Help, Have a Question, Got a Gripe or Special
Request?
Please send an email to me at
Cara.Mendelsohn@dallascityhall.com or call at (214)
670-4067.
Cara Mendelsohn
Council Member
City Council District 12
cara.mendelsohn@dallascityhall.com
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