Councilmember Cara Mendelsohn

Dallas City Hall is a data goldmine and many of our operations are dependent on electronic files. Residents count on the city to safely maintain records and confidential data. News of repeated data losses, and lack of notification to city council and District Attorneys offices, has rocked the confidence of the public and elected officials, and threatened the ability of the Dallas Police Department to provide full files for prosecution. As Chairman of the Ethics and Investigations Ad Hoc Committee, I have called a committee meeting Friday to discuss hiring an outside firm to conduct an impartial, professional review. https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2021/09/02/dallas-city-officials-plan-to-call-for-independent-investigation-into-police-evidence-loss/

Tuesday evening is an in-person event to give an update on family homelessness both in District 12 and across the US. Speakers include national expert, author, and filmmaker Diane Nilan, who will be in town with her book tour for only one night, and the CEO of Family Gateway, Ellen Magnis, which operates the new shelter on Preston and GWB. There is also a collection drive for items needed for families (see flyer below), and residents are welcome to bring items to the meeting.

The Jewish High Holy Days are upon us and I wish all who celebrate a happy, healthy, and meaningful New Year.

Best, Cara

PS- as COVID-19 cases rise again, you can find testing and vaccination sites, virus data, legal orders, business assistance, and more on the city website at: https://dallascityhall.com/Pages/Corona-Virus.aspx

Tuesday at 7pm - You're invited to an update on the family homeless shelter in District 12 being operated by Family Gateway and to hear from a national expert on family homelessness. We're doing a collection drive to assist the families at the shelter and the details are below.

SOUND WALLS - In late 2020, there was a discussion about the color and texture of the sound walls in Far North Dallas. Track-adjacent neighbors were invited to meetings more than two years ago, segmented by DART into many groupings, and asked to vote. The results showed many, many different colors and textures. The entire process was flawed, meaning, there should have been a vote of all the neighbors to select one color and texture, and it should have been from a limited number of combinations. If we proceed with the actual selections for all the different groupings, there would be a different color and texture on each side of every intersection and throughout the area. This whole process was unwise and convoluted.

Based on the feedback from most neighbors, the city can make a reasonable selection that will satisfy most people. However, there was interest in a "green wall" and a bunch of questions about the green wall specifics and maintenance were sent to DART in 2020. Recently, they provided a written answer.

Our office is in the process of setting up a virtual town hall to discuss and share the answer, get input, and ultimately, make a decision so DART can move forward with direction. The goal is to have the meeting on September 13th or 14th, but we are awaiting DART's confirmation on which staff member they will have attend the meeting. The meeting will be at 7 pm.

Please be on the lookout. A notice will be placed on NextDoor and social media and we will send it out as a special enews.

QUIET ZONES - Recently, the City of Dallas, Federal Railroad Administration, Texas Department of Transportation, DART, AWH, and many of the contractors building the railroad, along with several residents and I spent many hours participating in the quiet zone diagnostics and evaluation. The goal was to ensure all necessary safety measures were considered for the places the train will intersect with the road, sidewalk, and walking trail. Many thanks to the residents who participated, Maura Schreier-Fleming, Dane Cofer, and Brian Finkelstein, for their time, effort, and thoughtful comments to help make our neighborhood safer on a very long and hot day. Interestingly, the participants from the agencies and contractors said in their entire careers, they had never had residents or elected officials participate, even though it is our right to do so. The City of Dallas had several engineers on-site to provide technical guidance and assist us as needed in requesting additional safety measures. More details will be coming.

PROBLEMS - If something is happening along the DART right of way, that you believe should not be happening, please contact the District 12 office as soon as possible. We are asking for an on-sight inspector to be stationed along the City of Dallas corridor, because we have had so many unfortunate incidents. Recently, we've heard from homeowners who have had contractors access their private property, put wire on their property, install a pole on their private property, find an unknown solution bubbling up from the right of way, etc... If you see or hear something, please send an email to cara.mendelsohn@dallascityhall.com or text (214) 490-1036 for the quickest response. A more direct communication system with DART has been put in place and we are ready to assist you if needed. We are starting a long construction process.

COMMUNICATION - Last week, our office was added to a DART look-ahead schedule for the entire 26 mile line. We would like to share the updates with you, but honestly, most of it is not in layman's terms and the implications of the work aren't addressed. We are looking for a practical, resident-affecting schedule and we will continue to work with DART and the project manager to get details that can be shared that include things like lane closures, drilling, clearing of brush or trees, etc...

To receive alerts about mosquito spraying in your area the City of Dallas developed the Dallas Alert program to enhance the emergency notification system. Dallas Alert allows for additional communication options including cell phone and email. The information you enter will only be used for emergency purposes. This OPT IN system will notify subscribers to potential risks with information on the event and/or actions (such as evacuation) that the City and local Public Safety Officials are advising. To register with Dallas Alert, visit https://bit.ly/3se4cxl. 

It's clear the shelters time and if you are ready for a pet, now is a great time to open your home and heart. Dallas Animal Services is also looking for people willing to foster a dog for 2-3 weeks.

Are you ready to do some hands on work to improve our community? We're going to be having a massive tree planting in Salado Park on October 30! We'll have coffee, donuts, water bottles, and be working to help set the trees and fill them with dirt. The trees are pretty big and it takes some decent muscles to do this project. The city's arborist will teach us how to do it properly to ensure the health of each tree. We're looking for at least 50 volunteers. Do you have a scout group, civic group, or faith group that would be interested? Please RSVP to District12@dallascityhall.com. Time TBD, but it will be in the morning, with the goal of completion by noon.

A benefit of learning to plant a tree correctly may be that you decide to plant a tree in your yard. The Branch Out Dallas Tree Giveaway Program provides trees to residents at no cost. You must register by September 30th. Registration has begun, and there are a limited number of trees. They usually run out, so please register soon if you are interested. Tree pick up day is November 6th. Learn more at https://www.dallascitynews.net/branch-out-dallas-offering-free-trees-to-dallas-residents

The Office of Arts and Culture (OAC) project based funding program, ArtsActivate 2022 will be accepting applications for its 2^nd round from September 7 – October 4, 2021. Dallas based individual artists and qualifying non-profit organizations are encourage to apply for funds for projects that are based in art and culture.

For more information and to review the guidelines please visit artsactivate.com or email Adriana Portillo at adriana.portillo@dallascityhall.com.

Dallas County Health and Human Services will be administering first and second doses of the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine at Fair Park every Saturday through September 18.

Appointments encouraged – click here to schedule!

Pharmacies and clinics across Dallas County are administering the COVID-19 vaccine. To find a vaccine location near you, visit https://www.vaccines.gov/. 

If you received your first dose (Moderna or Pfizer) at Fair Park or another location and need a second dose, click here for more information – Second Dose Vaccine Locations.

Thank you to all who contacted our office and our Parks Board representative, Lane Conner, to give input on the possible scenarios for Campbell Green Recreation Center's remodel and expansion. The three scenarios below garnered many responses. Responses indicate you like scenario three, with the two phase approach of adding meeting space, expansions of the exercise room, new classrooms, an addition for afterschool and summer programming, general remodel and update including bathrooms and amenities, and you like the idea of an indoor pool! Thank you for taking the time to reach out and let us know. Here is a recap of the three scenarios:

Scenario one - add a new entry, bigger meeting space with technology and a kitchenette, expand the exercise room, remodel and expand the men's and women's locker rooms/restrooms.

Scenario two - same as above plus classroom spaces so afterschool and summer programming can be expanded and more senior daytime programming can be offered.

Scenario three - all of the above plus an indoor pool. The pool would need to be constructed as a second phase and funding would come from a future bond package, but would be planned and designed in conjunction with scenario two.

Didn't get a chance to give input? You can still send an email to: cara.mendelsohn@dallascityhall.com and lane.conner@dallascityhall.com. Drawings of possible layouts are coming soon!

Spread the Hope Peanut Butter Drive 2021 has launched! You can host an in-person or virtual food drive to help the North Texas Food Bank collect regular-sized, plastic jars of peanut butter to help feed hungry children and their families. Get more information or register your food drive today at: ntfb.org/peanutbutterdrive

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