Lochwood Annual Newsletter 2020-2021

NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION

EAST DALLAS PROUD

APRIL 2021

YEAR IN PICTURES

NEIGHBORS VOTE NOTICE

IMPORTANT INFO INSIDE REGARDING THE PROPOSED LOCHWOOD MONUMENT SIGNAGE & FERNALD BRIDGE BEAUTIFICATION AND HOW TO VOTE ON BOTH.

COVER PHOTO Teresa Bates. INSIDE COVER Paula Stephenson Jackson

LOCHWOODVOTING FOR THE PROPOSED NEIGHBORHOOD MONUMENT SIGNAGE & FERNALD BRIDGE BEAUTIFICATION More info regarding these proposals is on page 20.

RESIDENTS WITHOUT ONLINE ACCESS Please fill out the voter ballot inside the return envelope below and mail to the LNA.

* PLEASE MAIL IN YOUR VOTE BY WEDNESDAY, MAY 12.

RESIDENTS WITH ONLINE ACCESS Please go to Lochwood.com and register/sign in.

Then, click on the Neighborhood Voting side tab to vote.

* PLEASE VOTE BY SATURDAY, MAY 15.

LOCHWOOD MAIL-IN BALLOT

FOR NEIGHBORS WITHOUT INTERNET ACCESS

MAKING DO DURING THE PANDEMIC, WITH NEIGHBOR SOCIAL DISTANCING, FOOD TRUCK VISITS, VIRTUAL LEARNING, CREATIVE OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, AND RECONNECTIONS WITH NATURE.

TOGETHER, WE OVERCOME

BY THE LNA PRESIDENT

DEAR LOCHWOOD NEIGHBORS, Welcome to the 2021 edition of the Lochwood Annual! Going through the pages of this year’s annual one cannot help but be reminded of what an extraordinary neighborhood this is with the created beauty of trees, hills, greenbelts, creeks, wildlife, and oh those treetop sunrises & sunsets(!), as well as those of you who reside here, who work to build a good natured, family friendly, safe, clean, and united community.

We are all in this together and I so appreciate each and every one of you for both the big things as well as the little things you do; it all adds up and you’re making a difference! Let’s make 2021 our best year yet, what do you say?

If we ALL do a little it will make a great BIG difference…

Scott

Scott Robson

PRESIDENT@LOCHWOOD.COM

CONTENTS AREA DISD SCHOOL RECAP Page 6

PERSEVERING THROUGH THE PANDEMIC Page 8

WILD ABOUT OUR WILDLIFE Page 9

ENP & VIP INFO Page 9

LOCHWOOD LIVIN' Page 10

LIGHT UP LOCHWOOD CHRISTMAS Page 12

OUR WINTER WEEK Page 13

NEW TO LOCHWOOD? We have something for you!

FUR & FEATHER FAMILY MEMBERS Page 14

BATCH PLANT NEIGHBOR PROTESTERS INTERVIEW Page 15

NEIGHBOR VOTING Page 20

LOCHWOOD GOODS Page 22

LOCHWOOD PARTNERSHIPS Page 25

NEW LOCHWOOD RESIDENTS, we’d like to welcome you with a care packet of useful information about our neighborhood and area (plus Lochwood window decals).

Please email info@lochwood.com and we’ll drop a packet off!

Opposite page photos by Sara Ann Erbskorn, Marcie Mirbaba, Summer Graham, Emil Rapstine, Andrew Holzschuh

LNA BOARD MEMBERS & NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERS Back Cover

Photos courtesy of the school feeder social pages, Emil Rapstine, Tita Pasion

OUR INCREDIBLE DISD FEEDER PATTERN

Despite the pandemic crisis, our area public schools adapted and excelled. BY TITA PASION & ANDREA MACANALLY M.T. REILLY ELEMENTARY

Discover! at Robert T. Hill middle school is led by Mrs. Candice Ruiz.

Robert T. Hill was selected to become a Dallas ISD Choice School this year! Our dream of building a school that prioritizes relationships between adults and children, advances the level of rigor at every opportunity and engages students in learning that is relevant to their lives will become a reality!

Through high quality data instruction and data analysis, Reilly continues to be recognized as a clear leader in helping students achieve on grade level and beyond. Congratulations!

Our students will engage in deeper learning while exploring social injustices in order to DISCOVER their community, their world, and ultimately themselves. This year we have seen great gains from the classrooms that have piloted project based learning. This year HIll debuted the House System as well. Each student is sorted into a house, and those houses compete for points in order to win the Hill Cup and also to have bragging rights. Students earn points for engagement, kindness, school spirit, effort, and house challenges! This program helps each student to feel a sense of belonging at our school.

Although the pandemic has paused many school programs, Reilly offers many extracurricular activities, sports, and academic opportunities including: • A two way dual language program, anchored by Ms. Pacheco

who was named Texas PTA Elementary Teacher of the Year • Robotics- Tech-So-Logic (the Reilly team) narrowly missed placing 3rd by one point!

• Fine Arts offerings include orchestra and drama. Clubs include Spanish club and garden club

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ROBERT T. HILL MIDDLE SCHOOL

Reilly Elementary welcomed a new Principal this year, Ms. Nichole O’Neal. Ms. O’Neal is a proud product of Dallas ISD and looks forward to continuing the legacy of excellence at our neighborhood school. Martha T. Reilly Elementary continues to receive high ratings from the state of Texas, and has been recognized as an Honor Roll School by Education Results Partnership.

LOCHWOOD ANNUAL NEWSLETTER I APRIL 2021

Hill is also piloting another program, the use of Yondr pouches during the day. Yondr pouches offer the students the security of having their phones with them, but encourages classroom engagement by limiting access during school hours.

While some activities are on pause because of the pandemic, many are not! Hill offers a wide range of programs, sports, and clubs during the year!

• STEM program - Wildly successful, with 7th boys winning with 1st place in Robot Design, 3rd place in skills, and a District qualifier. 7th girls Team 505 1st place in Teamwork, 1st place in Design! 8th grade team- 1st in Robot Design, 2nd place in Teamwork, district qualifier

BRYAN ADAMS HIGH SCHOOL LEADERSHIP ACADEMY Bryan Adams High School Leadership Academy, under the direction of Ryan Bott, is currently being renovated! Once complete, Bryan Adams will have a new secure entryway, a two-level addition with new classrooms, a competition gym, a new fine arts addition, upgrades to the auditorium, and renovation to the library and media center. The outdoor plaza and exterior monument sign will also be upgraded! BA is expanding college opportunities for students through the P-Tech Collegiate Academy and the NAF Academy, which includes Academy of Engineering; Academy of Health Science; Academy of Info Technology; and Leadership Academy, where Criminal Justice has been added. Additionally, BA offers students the Career Institute so students may prepare for high-demand, high-wage careers in construction, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, interior design, and cybersecurity while in high school. Each program provides students with an industry certification and an apprenticeship!

• Athletics- football, basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball, track, cross country, cheer, and dance team • Girl Scouts • Clubs include Debate (Gavel and first place prizes earned last year), Creative Writing, Chess and DI (6th girls team placed 1st at regionals in Project Podcast and moves on to state) • Fine Arts - Band, Orchestra, Dance, Visual arts, Drama

A FEW OF THE MANY ACCOLADES EARNED BY BA STUDENTS THIS YEAR

• Academic Decathlon Team- advanced to state level competition -for the 4th consecutive year • BA Mock Trial- 3rd place, advanced to state competition • BAHS Cheer- First team in school history to make the Finals at the UIL Spirit State Championship • BA Swim Team- 2nd in district, 17 swimmers competed at regionals, 1 swimmer placed 4th at the state level • BA Belles- Captain Bella Pasion was selected for the 2021 Texas All State Dance Team • BA Golf- 2nd place in district championship • BA Football- Advanced to first round in playoffs!

IT’S SUCH AN EXCITING TIME TO WATCH OUR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS THRIVE!

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MAKING THE BEST OF IT DURING THE PANDEMIC

Photos by Eric Clark, Michael Ytem, Barbara Johnson, Maria Garcia, Thomas Buck, Mark Fuentes, Andrea McAnally, Sarah Minton, Christal Foster, Heather Kolodziej

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LOCHWOOD ANNUAL NEWSLETTER I APRIL 2021

LOCHWOOD NEIGHBORS REFUSED TO LET COVID rule their lives.

We adapted, endured, and persevered. And, got creative with our time together. Neighbors held small, socially distant sidewalk, street or driveway socials, organized honking drivebys for birthday parties, events, and frontline/teacher apprecation, and transformed Lochwood into a golf cart community. Some formed outreach to help those affected by sheltering-in-place, contributed to book sharing, reserved food trucks or carts to serve in our neighborhood, got plenty of take-out to help our local restaurants, explored our beautifual natural surroundings, and participated in fun, family "porch"traits.

WILD ABOUT OUR WILDLIFE

Photos by Sue Korioth, Erik Hansen, Ann Williams, Thomas Buck, Mark Nanchy, Ann Willimas, Mark Nanchy, Irene Allender, Thomas Buck, Michael Ytem

PLEASE CONTACT THE LOCHWOOD VIP LEADER ASSIGNED TO YOUR DPD REPORTING AREA FOR MORE INFORMATION ON BECOMING A VIP VIP AREA 1099/1114 LEADERS Carol Newman & Susan Hill vip1099@lochwood.com

VOLUNTEERS IN PATROL (VIP) drive in pairs, walk and ride throughout the neighborhood, on the lookout for any suspicious behavior. We are always seeking more applicants, as some VIPs are not always able to patrol.

It’s a great way to give back to the neighborhood, get to know your neighbors and help keep Lochwood safe and sound.

VIP AREA 1113 LEADERS Pat Kidd & Phyllis Rhodes vip1113@lochwood.com

EXPANDED NEIGHBORHOOD PATROL

214.478.3678 OUR 4 ENP POLICEMEN PATROLLED 1654 HOURS IN 2020, AVERAGING 31.8 HOURS PER WEEK. They are vital to keeping our neighborhood safe and the majority of neighbor donations support this initiative. Our ENP Team consists of: Officers John Cao, Juan Amaya, David Kim and Anthony Wadsworth.

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LOCHWOOD LIVIN' FOOD TRUCK FIX Many neighbors reserved food trucks to come to the park, or to an area of Lochwood.

GARDENING THERAPY Many neighbors took their shelter-in-place time to do home projects inside and out.

WILDLIFE RESPECT Neighbors have been great at nuturing, saving & redirecting our wildlife to live safely on.

ALL-AMERICAN No matter what the situation, Lochwooders always show their patriotism.

LOCHWOOD PARK Park improvements continue from the 2017 Bond, including field, fountain, playground and ADA-related enhancements.

SUPPORTTING LOCAL Whether taking-out, delivering or eating outside, our area supported local restaurateurs.

EASTER ON THE GREENBELT Our lovely neighbor(s) always bring Easter, and other special events, to a certain tree on the greenbelt.

GALLERY OF ISOLATION Artistic students contributed very creative displays that were attached to the Hill Middle School fenceline along E. Lake Highlands Dr. YOUNG LOCHWOODERS As young families move in, Lochwood's median age is getting younger and younger.

HALLOWEEN THEATRICS Neighbors get into the cosplay, spooky yard decor, and have a great time on fright night.

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FIGHTING PARTY HOUSES Neighbors united to fight the numerous large parties held at AirBNB/VRBO rental houses.

NATURAL DISCOVERIES We are fortunate to have such beautiful and dramatic nature.

Very perspective changing.

BUDDING ARTISTS Lochwood is full of young & talented artists, like Bianca Barrera (who was accepted to Booker T. Washington HS). This is her amazing self-portrait.

ARBORETUM ESCAPE Great distancing destination to explore and get inspired.

SHARING & CARING This community prides itself on sharing, whether it's big or small. It's all good.

LOCHWOOD ANNUAL NEWSLETTER I APRIL 2021

COMMUNITY CLEANING Neighbors came out in full force to help pickup trash at our park, greenbelts and creeks.

OUR SCHOOL PRIDE Reilly Elementary is in the heart of our neighborhood, and we take pride in supporting our own.

Photos by Jessica Sasfai, unknown, Thomas Buck, Erin Melendez, Thomas Buck, Crystal Bedsole, Summer Graham, Lisa Schriner, Harold Webster, Alexis Flores, Tim Campbell, PJ Laux, Bianca Barrera, Carol Newman, Sarah Burke, Thomas Buck (2)

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LIGHT UP LOCHWOOD THE NEIGHBORHOOD WAS LIT UP this Christmas Season with houses and trees filled by string lights, yards full of decorations, blow-up displays, and movie-themed attractions. Generous neighbors (aka storm troopers) even collected food bank donations to feed those in need! Cheswick St. neighbors, and roof-top Santa as always, provided a wonderful holiday setting. Thank you all for Lighting Up Lochwood this Christmas!

Photos by Lyn Caudle, Eric Ehrlich, Thomas Buck, Eric Ehrlich, Thomas Buck (3)

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LOCHWOOD ANNUAL NEWSLETTER I APRIL 2021

A WEEK FULL OF WINTER UNLIKE MANY NORTH TEXAS RESIDENTS dealing with rolling backouts, power outages and burst pipes, Lochwood was lucky not to be as affected by the historically freezing low temps of "snowmageddon".

Many residents took others in, checked in on our seniors, and made the best of the winter weather while it was here. Trekkers, sledders, skateres, skiiers, boarders, snow angels, and snow sculpturers all came out to play.

Good thing too. The next week it was in the 70's. :)

Photos by Teena Anderson, Chris Cantrell, Jake Wilganowski, Scott Meyers, Johnny Rodriguez, Brittany Jones, Susan Golden

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FUR & FEATHER FAMILY Photos by Eric Ehrlich, Laura Abbott-Coan, Sarah Burke, Karen Leger, PJ Laux, Julie Ann Bever, Paul Barry, Mark Nanchy, Cheryl McClure, Sue Korioth

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LOCHWOOD ANNUAL NEWSLETTER I APRIL 2021

not ‘bulldozed’ over by these mega corporations trying to take advantage of people not paying as close of attention to their local government. BIG MISTAKE on their part.

INTERVIEW BY THOMAS BUCK

We (Mark Fuentes and I) heard about this through a post on the neighborhood Facebook page.

We were a little late to the game, but as soon as we found out, we knew we wanted to be involved in blocking this plant. We’d just moved back to Lochwood, into what we hope is our forever home where we will continue to raise our sons. We wanted to do what we could to ensure the air in our neighborhood would be safe for our family, especially since two of us have Asthma. Mark took on most of the participation for our family.

PROLOGUE

(MM)

(LM & MF)

D9 BREATHES EASIER

East Dallas residents fought for the greater good, and WON!

On June 24, 2020, the Dallas City Council unanimously denied, 14-0, the proposed Special Use Permit (SUP) for a concrete and asphalt batch plant to be installed at Zacha Junction, to aid in the LBJ East Project, renovating I-63 from Central Expressway to I-30. Martin Marietta and Austin Bridge & Road were the two contracted companies to work on the plant’s installation, concrete and asphalt production, and interstate renovations. Thanks to these Lochwood neighbors, and other concerned residents in the East Dallas Area, they were able to form a very organized group (East Dallas Greater Good) that helped prevent an attempt to insert the batch plant dangerously close to our neighborhoods. What transpired within this group in the last few months, weeks and minutes leading up to the DCC vote has largely gone unpublicized. How quickly they were able to mobilize, develop a singular voice among many, convince residents to share their voice, and campaign against the plant build - involving a half-billion dollar contract - is nothing short of inspirational.

THE LOCHWOOD NEIGHBORS THAT WERE INSTRUMENTAL IN DEFEATING THE PROPOSED BATCH PLANT IN EAST DALLAS:

I learned about the batch plant when I saw a petition posted by Norm Howden, then I saw a couple of posts from neighbors on the Lochwood page. I signed the petition, then I read all the posts about needing to do more because the petition wouldn’t move the needle w/the City Council. I kept up w/the various posts and saw Kendra was asking who would want to get involved to make more neighbors aware and organize. I messaged Kendra via FB messenger and she told me she and Kirsten were willing to organize a group of neighbors, so I jumped on board! I offered to host the first group meeting and sent invites to everyone Kendra had put into an email group. I also reached out to State Representative Victoria Neave and Commissioner Theresa Daniel who agreed to join us to give us their support.

I first learned about the batch plant item when saw the Howden’s post shared on Reform Dallas. I shared it with a couple other groups including Lochwood NA, and messaged Council Member Blackmon and asked her to defer. I encouraged others to do the same.

(KN)

COMMUNITY AWARENESS MEETINGS WERE ORGAINIZED TO HELP SPREAD THE WORD.

LORIN MCGUIRE & MARK FUENTES (LM & MF) MARICELA MARTINEZ (MM) KENDRA NICHOLS (KN) BRYAN ROLLINS (BR) KIRSTEN SWANSON (KS)

INTERVIEW (THOMAS BUCK) SO, THE FIRST I HEARD OF THE BATCH PLANT WAS KENDRA’S FACEBOOK POST ON MAY 24, URGING US TO CONTACT OUR D9 COUNCIL MEMBER, PAULA BLACKMON, TO OPPOSE THE ZONING SUP. I MUST ADMIT, I WAS NOT PAYING MUCH ATTENTION TO WHAT WAS HAPPENING AT CITY HALL BEFORE THEN. WHEN AND HOW DID YOU ALL LEARN ABOUT THE PROPOSED PLANT BUILD?

I saw a Change.org petition on Nextdoor.com initiated by Norman Howden. Subsequently, I shared the post on the Lochwood FB page and saw that others were posting about it too.

(BR)

I found out about it from reading a random article back in May and I posted on FB, which led to Kendra and I connecting and then with Maricela and then with a lot of others which we then realized we all needed to band together to ensure we could speak all as one voice with the community to make our council members take note.

Maricela hosted the meeting that Bryan mentioned in the next question and we got things going to bring awareness to as many of our local neighbors as possible. We all had different strengths to build this incredible team of activists and communicators to ensure that our homes, our air, our ground, our families and quality of life were (KS)

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NEIGHBORS WHO SPOKE AT THE DCC MEETING IN OPPOSITION TO THE BATCH PLANT: (TOP LEFT TO RIGHT) KIRSTEN SWANSON, KATHRYN BAZAN, RHEEDEN FUENTES, LESLEY ORTEGA, BRYAN ROLLINS, LORIN MCGUIRE, JAMES MILLER, MARICELA MARTINEZ AND NORMA NELSON. NOT SHOWN: PATTY NEWTON, DIEGO BARRERA.

HOW WAS THE EAST DALLAS GREATER GOOD (EDGG) TEAM FORMED? HOW WAS THE HIERARCHY/LEADERSHIP DETERMINED AND HOW WERE THE RESPONSIBILITIES DIVIDED UP AMONG LEADERS AND VOLUNTEERS?

Maricela hosted a meeting at her home which Kendra, Kirsten, Kathryn Bazan, Norman, Suze Howden, John Botefuhr, Drue Gawel, Dr. Theresa Daniel and I attended. We were all people who had shown interest on FB. Kirsten and Maricela agreed to co-lead the effort. The name, EDGG, and FB page came later. I think Kendra came up with the name and she and Kathryn established the FB page.

Each of us seemed to have talent and interest in particular areas so we more or less assumed roles but definitely worked by consensus.

Kendra - invaluable input on how the City does business and how Council meetings work. Kirsten - willing to be the co-leader with Maricela, plus Kirsten had a contact in road construction who told her many things we needed to know about the process. Maricela co-leader and point person for outreach to our Latino neighbors.

Kathryn - her online research skills were incomparable and she works as an environmentalist so she knew what many of the problems would be with the batch plants. Drue - also an excellent researcher and proficient at ‘broadcasting’ information via FB and Nextdoor.

My contributions were mostly organizational, but I also drafted initial ‘straw man’ documents, did some research and helped with community outreach. Lorin and Mark helped more towards the end and helped review plans and documents for us. Mark also secured the location for our only public meeting. Mark and Lorin were also interviewed for a story that ran on local TV news.

(BR)

Byran answered this very well and I think really shows the diversity of knowledge the team built. I had a road construction contact (who does not want to be named) as well as many media contacts and access to many of our neighborhood pages for communication purposes.

(KS)

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LOCHWOOD ANNUAL NEWSLETTER I APRIL 2021

Along with hosting and bringing in Spanish media, I kept up with my contacts on the City Council. I reached out to Council Members, Narvaez, Resendiz, Medrano and Bazaldua. They kept me posted on their support of our efforts and gave me insight into how some of their other colleagues were leaning, which I communicated back to our group. I also reached out to other concerned neighbors and business owners in surrounding neighborhoods like Casa View and Casa Linda.

(MM)

It was so interesting how we all just organically came together and formed. We messaged back and forth then decided to meet and a core team was formed. At that time we decided we needed a name to gain momentum on social media, especially since time was SO short.

I think the East Dallas Greater Good name just literally fell out of my mouth, lol. We all have different and similar strengths, and also different reach within our communities. We had about 15 in the core and I think the six us naturally became the hierarchy due to our backgrounds and how each of our skills served EDGG’s purpose but we all played a part. These days, Kathryn puts in a ton of work so I tend to follow her lead, reach out when I have something to share, and give input as needed.

(KN)

WHAT DID YOU VIEW AS YOUR MAIN OBSTACLES TO FIGHT THE PLANT BUILD? HOW MUCH DID THE PANDEMIC PLAY INTO THE PLANT ALMOST BEING PASSED? HOW DID YOU OUTLINE YOUR STRATEGY AND MOBILIZE SO QUICKLY?

The biggest obstacles were (1) how to demonstrate visible community opposition when we presented our case to the City Council (2) ensuring that we had enough factual material to convince the Council that the plants would be harmful to our neighborhood (3) trying to get ‘advance’ information from any of the Council Members to gauge how they were leaning and how strong of a case (BR)

we needed to present and (4) getting mixed communication from the Council about how we would be permitted to present our case.

We were initially told that we’d be allowed just two or three speakers to present for 15 minutes total. So, we had an excellent Google slideshow prepared for that. Literally, the day of the Council meeting we were told that all 30+ people who had signed up to speak must be allowed to speak and they’d be given 1 minute each. Kathryn and Kirsten spent the next several hours dividing the slide deck into 1 minute ‘scripts’ which were sent to each of the registered speakers, who read them later that evening during the Council meeting.

The pandemic didn’t make much difference. We wore masks at the two in-person meetings and then everything else was online.

We were able to do things so quickly because there were so many of us helping, but mostly due to the use of social media. Our strategy evolved from an old journalism rule to tell the reader (community/ council in our case) Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? Who we are, who is the opposition, what are they trying to do, what would be the impacts, when/where do they want to build those batch plants, why we think it’s a bad idea and how do we stop them. That was more or less the outline. We did many, many interviews and site visits to find out things we didn’t know and refined our presentation as we went along.

Things I never thought I would be doing at 7 months pregnant! But this was too important to let go - I guess I had that push in my system to want to have a better world for my son. Bryan again outlined this very well. We wanted to stick with facts, not emotions, which is why I think the council members listened even more so to us. When we got through with this specific targeted task and the votes came back no - we realized if we could mobilize this quickly and this accurately - the question came up to what else could we accomplish. The FB group/page and the website are tools for us to be able to all work collectively together to make important changes for the East Dallas neighborhoods.

(KS)

Bryan outlined our obstacles and strategy perfectly! I also echo his comment on how much social media helped us raise awareness in Lochwood and in surrounding neighborhoods; it almost made the pandemic a moot point!

Thank goodness for technology, because we made use of everything we could; Zoom, email, group texts and Google Docs!

(MM)

HOW GOOD DID YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR CHANCES OF GETTING THIS SUP DENIED? WAS THERE A TIME WHEN YOU THOUGHT THIS WAS A LOST CAUSE?

(KS) Bryan is right, I was on a couple of spotlights for local news

channels with Fox and NBC and we had write ups in the Lake Highlands Advocate and Lakewood Advocate. Maricela was as well with Telemundo I believe - we wanted to reach as many neighbors as possible. We reached out to local PTAs, moms groups, churches, even had a long conversation with the Arboretum. As MANY people as we could get in front of we did. We put pressure not only on Paula but other City Council members as well - especially those closeAdam Mcgough and David Blewett. We used facts, not emotions, for our causes. We even had pre-written letters for community members to use as templates for their letters to the city council members. We tagged them in as many posts as we could and wanted to make sure they heard their constituents. What I learned “We were a group of through all of this as well is how many neighbors aren’t even aware of what district strangers who came they were in. I think this was a large wake up together and quickly call to the community. I’ve heard so many times from our neighbors how much they bonded over this issue.” learned about their own communities from this fight together.

We never felt like it was a lost cause, but we didn’t start finding out until close to the date of the City Council meeting that so many Council Members were going to vote ‘no’. As I recall, we were not sure initially how Paula Blackmon was going to vote so it was a little unnerving. We launched a communication campaign and had hundreds of residents flooding the Mayor, City Manager and Council Members with calls and emails in opposition to the batch plants.

After a week or two of that, Paula publicly opposed the batch plants.

We also succeeded in getting several TV news stations to cover this story. Mark and Lorin were interviewed by one of the stations and featured in the evening news. Scott Robson was ‘on air’ along with others from our neighborhood. A city employee who asked to remain anonymous told us to ask the Council members to deny the SUP ‘with prejudice’. We didn’t know enough to ask for that, but that is what the Council did, at our request; a vote of denial "with prejudice" at either the CPC or CC hearing or a CC vote means that the applicant cannot bring in another zoning change request on the same property within two years without a waiver of the two-year waiting period.

(BR)

THE PROPOSED LOCATION FOR THE CONCRETE & ASPHALT BATCH PLANT, NEAR CITY PARK SOCCER FIELDS, AND MANY EAST DALLAS NEIGHBORHOODS.

(MM) At first, I wasn’t sure we’d be successful in our efforts to get the SUP denied, but as I kept in touch with various City Council members, I began to feel like we were definitely making headway with our campaign. Then, listening to Kathryn, Kirsten, Bryan and Drue and everything they were learning and sharing gave us even more confidence that we were on the right path. Our group was featured on Telemundo but the interview was done by another neighbor, Martha Camarillo from Casa View. We also had a write up in the White Rock Weekly by Rebecca Aguilar, former Fox 4 reporter.

WHAT DON’T WE KNOW ABOUT THIS CAMPAIGN THAT YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH US? FOR INSTANCE, HOW MANY PERSON-HOURS DO YOU THINK WERE DEVOTED TO THIS ENDEAVOR?

I am retired, so it was a full-time job for me for about 3 weeks.

One thing that amazed me was how easy it was to get City employees to call me back and share information that would help our cause.

Another important thing is that those batch plants might easily have been approved if Norman and Suze Howden had not ‘caught wind’ that the Council was voting on it. The City Planning Commission had already approved it. Several of us have now added our names to (BR)

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an ‘advance notice’ list so that we can review anything going before the Planning Commission.

(BR CONTINUED)

Bryan was a rockstar at getting in touch with the right people at city council! And he’s correct, we learned so much about the city council processes and now have a few of us as “watch dogs” to make sure we don’t miss anything else coming up. I definitely had this as a second full time job for weeks - thank goodness I couldn’t sleep anyway from being so pregnant! Together as a team we REALLY did, I would say, 6 months or more work within 3 weeks.

(KS)

Something not known about this effort is how quickly the core group gelled. We were a group of strangers who came together and quickly bonded over this issue which created great synergy that certainly contributed to our success. After living in Lochwood almost thirty years, it was quite an experience! I don’t have any idea how many hours I spent on this effort, but it was a lot and it was intense but all totally worth it!

(MM)

LEADING UP TO SPEAKING AT THE DCC PUBLIC MEETING ON JUNE 24, WHAT WERE THE GROUND RULES? WHY WERE THOSE RULES CHANGED LAST MINUTE? WASN’T THERE A FORMAL 20-PAGE SLIDE PRESENTATION CREATED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE MEETING?

I’ve discussed it above. Paula was trying to do us a favor and to get Mayor Johnson to agree. She thought it would be faster and make a better presentation if we had 2 or 3 people present a coherent slide deck, rather than having 30+ citizens each give their 1 minute POV. She assured me that the Mayor was okay with that plan, but then the day of the meeting he changed his mind and said we had to let all 30+ speak. I think he’d been waiting for legal counsel and he didn’t get an answer from them until the day of the meeting.

(BR)

Our team were rockstars - Kathryn and I broke down the script and slides as much as we could and coordinated it with the signed up speakers. We lucked out that I was the first person to register for speaking time for the meeting, so I was up first to set the tone and intro for the remaining speakers lined up. We learned a lot about the city council set up from this - the mayor basically can do whatever he wants, can make whatever changes at any time for these meetings.

I think that is something that needs to be discussed at some point, but that is another issue for another time.

(KS)

The change in the format of the meeting at the last minute could have been a disaster after all the hard work that went into preparing a thorough presentation. But, as they’d been throughout (LM & MF)

GETTING NEWS CHANNEL AIRTIME: MARK FUENTES & LORIN MCGUIRE, SCOTT ROBSON, KATHRYN BAZAN AND KIRSTEN SWANSON.

the process, Kathryn and Kirsten were absolute rockstars. They pivoted with very limited time to breaking up the presentation into small speaking segments for all who had registered. As far as I know, everyone who had registered agreed to present a small segment of the planned presentation. It worked seamlessly. The only exception I know of was my son, Rheeden Fuentes, who had felt so strongly about opposing the batch plant that he wrote his own speech and presented it as he’d planned. I think his brief emotional appeal was a valuable contribution in an otherwise rock-solid, factually-based presentation. We were grateful for his opportunity to participate at such a young age. We want him to know that he can be actively involved in protecting and improving his community.

Once Bryan got the call about the change, Kirsten and Kathryn communicated with the rest of us who had signed up to speak.

We followed their lead, not knowing until almost the last minute, what the presentation format would be. They ensured we were all ready and had our talking points. It was beautiful!

(MM)

DESPITE THE LAST-MINUTE TIME ALLOTMENT CHANGE, ALL OF YOUR SPEECHES WERE SEAMLESS AND ON-POINT! DID YOU DISCUSS BEFOREHAND THAT THIS MIGHT HAPPEN? YOU ADAPTED QUITE WELL! WERE DIFFERENT BULLET POINTS OF WHY YOU WERE OPPOSED TO THE BATCH PLANT ASSIGNED TO CERTAIN SPEAKERS? HOW DID YOU DETERMINE THE SPEAKING ORDER?

This was due to Kathryn and Kirsten breaking up our slide deck into 1 minute scripts. The speaking order was determined by the order in which people contacted the Council to sign up for speaking at that meeting. As I recall, there were one or two ‘known’ people in the list of registered speakers and K&K wanted them to deliver specific points. Everyone else just got a 1 minute section from the deck, in the order that they were assigned to speak. We had the list of speakers, so we knew the order and K&K were able to send them ordered parts of the original slide deck. There was one speaker that none of us knew and with whom we never made contact, so his words were his own; he also lived over in Old Lake Highlands so that’s just one example of how many people didn’t want those batch plants anywhere near us.

(BR)

IT WAS INCREDIBLE SEEING HOW MANY PEOPLE FROM AROUND OUR AREA SPOKE OUT. WE ARE VERY THANKFUL LOCHWOOD WAS WELL REPRESENTED. IN ADDITION TO YOU ALL, PATTY NEWTON, DIEGO BARRERA, LESLEY ORTEGA, JAMES MILLER, AND NORMA NELSON ALL IMPRESSIVELY VOICED THEIR OPPOSITION. ASSUMING THIS WAS A DELIBERATE STRATEGY TO HAVE AS MANY NEIGHBORHOODS AS POSSIBLE OPPOSE? (BR) We would have had even more speakers,

but we stopped encouraging people to sign up after Paula told us that only 2 or 3 would be able to present our slide deck to the Council.

We wanted enough speakers to make a point, but then we were told that they wanted a presentation with a few speakers, and then as you know it changed again….

It all worked out, but Kathryn and I spent a lot of time the 24 hours before the presentation “re-working it out” so it would all make sense. We had to cut a LOT of details from research, but it obviously worked out so yay!

(KS)

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LOCHWOOD ANNUAL NEWSLETTER I APRIL 2021

HAVING RHEEDEN (THE ONLY KID WHO SPOKE) VOICE HIS PERSPECTIVE AND OPPOSITION SO ELOQUENTLY HAD A HUGE IMPACT ON THE COUNCIL MEMBERS. GLAD HE WAS ABLE TO SPEAK, AS HE MENTIONED, “BEFORE HIS BEDTIME.” PLEASE TELL US ABOUT HIS INVOLVEMENT.

Rheeden was excellent and his participation definitely helped our cause. Everyone from children to retirees opposed those batch plants.

(BR)

(KS)

He was FANTASTIC!

WHAT IS CURRENTLY HAPPENING WITH EDGG, AND HOW DOES IT CONTINUE TO HELP THE COMMUNITY?

I’ll be honest, I’ve had to take a few steps back after having my son, but Kathryn, Kendra and Maricela have really been rockstars at keeping things going. Kathryn makes sure our FB group posts are up to date, and honestly our entire team still interacts on the posts on a regular basis. Now that my son is starting child care soon I’m looking forward to getting back to EDGG - in fact Kathryn and I were just talking about it the other day and I think there are so many great opportunities we can positively affect the East Dallas area I really am looking forward to the next chapter in 2021!

(KS)

Ah, thanks! We touched on this a little above in my response earlier. When we first heard about the batch plant and its potential impact on our air quality, Rheeden (age 9) (MM) Most recently, EDGG partnered with got very concerned about the impact Commissioner Daniel and Casa View on himself and other children who play Christian Church to host two COVID-19 outside in the area. He has asthma and “I think this was a large wake vaccine registration events on Feb. 6th and struggles some to breathe adequately while 27th. We registered 350+ people from up call to the community. playing as it is, and he knew added pollution surrounding neighborhoods. would just make this worse. When we showed I’ve heard so many times him on the map how close the soccer fields WHAT WOULD YOU ENCOURAGE NEIGHBORS TO are to the proposed site, he was especially from our neighbors how DO TO REMAIN IN THE KNOW AND ACTIVE IN THE concerned since he is an avid soccer player.

COMMUNITY FOR POSITIVE CHANGE? much they learned about We’ve intentionally raised our kids to know (BR) Join the Lochwood Neighborhood it’s important to be involved in public and their own communities Association and East Dallas Greater Good political issues that affect them. We asked pages on Facebook. Join the Lochwood if he’d like to register to speak at the city from this fight together.” neighborhood on Nextdoor.com. That said, council meeting, and without reservation, I spoke with many neighbors when I was on he agreed. He wrote his own speech and my daily walks and most people over age 70 practiced it several times that day. He has some didn’t engage in any sort of social media, so other forms of outreach anxiety about public speaking, and the longer the meeting went on, are important. Maricela, Kathryn, Suze and others passed out flyers the more nervous he felt. But we thought he did a great job giving door-to-door. his speech when it was time, and we were grateful for the learning opportunity for him. He enjoyed the positive comments he received, (KS) Also go to the EDGG website and sign up for email alerts. both during the meeting from members of the council and after on (MM) I would definitely encourage neighbors to join the FB pages social media from members of the community. He has since joined Bryan mentioned, as well as NextDoor. EDGG will continue to use a debate team and continues to practice his skills researching and flyers and go door-to-door to engage those neighbors who may not arguing a point. He’ll be ready to join in again the next time the be on social media platforms. neighborhood needs help! I asked if he’d like to reply to this question himself, but he declined. He said, “Thanks for offering, though.” :) (KN) The biggest take away from all of this - speaking up to your City Council members, not just your own but all of them, really works!

(MM) Rheeden speaking gave me chills! It was great to hear what he Gathering your community and working together, being consistent, had to say and he definitely made an impact. Rheeden gives me hope and staying together as a united front really can make change not for our future; we need many more like him to keep us adults straight! only within your circle of influence, but out to your circle of concern HOW INCREDIBLE AND/OR RELIEVED DID YOU FEEL WHEN HEARING THE and beyond! Example: we were able to get the batch plant denied COUNCIL MEMBERS DISCUSS AND THEN UNANIMOUSLY DENY THE PLANT SUP? but we also emphatically stated we did not want communities in the (BR) A little annoyed, honestly. We never really understood why southern sector to bear the burden because it was moved from us! several of them would not publicly state their opposition prior to the Let your voice be heard! vote at the meeting.

(LM & MF)

Relieved to be 100% honest, it was a lot of hours, a lot of frustration, and a lot of anger that our city council members who are there to protect us were about to let this pass through without doing their due diligence. We did their work for them, our team, our community stood up for itself and I’m glad our elected leaders listened. However, this never should have even gotten to this point.

Our hope is that EDGG is in place now and will deter these larger companies that want to come “take over” some areas that should be developed to benefit our communities, not harm them.

(KS)

Relieved for sure! I didn’t have time to participate much, so I was very grateful for all the hours the other members of this team put in to protect our community.

(MM) I was absolutely relieved! I was also proud of our community for taking control of this important issue and holding our City Council accountable. We dodged a bullet but it’s good to know my neighbors have Lochwood’s back!

THANKS SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS, SHARING YOUR STORIES AND CONTINUING TO POSITIVELY EFFECT OUR COMMUNITY! I CAN’T IMAGINE HOW AWFUL IT WOULD BE TO HAVE THE PLANT OPERATING TODAY IN OUR BACKYARD. YOU CREATED SUCH A GREAT TEMPLATE TO FOLLOW ON HOW TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, AND IMPACT CITY DECISIONS TO BENEFIT US, AND THE GREATER GOOD.

This interview was edited for clarity and brevity.

VIEW THE SPEECHES GIVEN AT THE JUNE 24, 2020 CITY COUNCIL MEETING:

dallastx.swagit.com/play/06242020-585

(LM & MF)

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT EDGG:

facebook.com/groups/eastdallas greatergood eastdallasgreatergood.org

APRIL 2021 I LOCHWOOD ANNUAL NEWSLETTER

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LOCHWOODVOTING TO VOTE

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT OUR NEIGHBORHOOD IS WELL-INFORMED AND ABLE TO WEIGH IN ON SUBJECTS, IMPROVEMENTS AND EVENTS RELATED TO LOCHWOOD. AT TIMES, THIS MEANS THE LNA NEEDS A FULL-SCALE, ALL-RESIDENT VOTE.

RESIDENTS WITHOUT ONLINE ACCESS*

RESIDENTS WITH ONLINE ACCESS

Please fill out the voter ballot (that is inside the return envelope on the inside front page of the Annual) and mail to the LNA. You will receive a letter with the results of the voting, and if applicable, how to donate to the project.

Please go to Lochwood.com and register/sign in. Click on the Neighborhood Voting side tab to vote. The LNA will send you an email with the voting results, and if applicable, provide a link to donate to the project.

* PLEASE MAIL IN YOUR VOTE BY WEDNESDAY, MAY 12.

* PLEASE VOTE ONLINE BY SATURDAY, MAY 15.

OPTION 1

OPTION 2

OPTION 3

OPTION 4

PROPOSED NEIGHBORHOOD MONUMENT SIGNAGE AFTER GETTING HELPFUL INPUT from talented landscape

architect residents, and folks wanting to be involved with this project, here are 4 concept mockups that have been board approved to vote upon by the neighborhood. If a majority neighborhood decision has been made to move forward with a signage concept, we will contact the City (for their approval, sign contracts, receive permits, etc.) to build on the E. Lake Highlands greenbelt, at the Fernald entrance. We are also looking at the Creekmere greenbelt at Easton as a potential location as well.

These signs will be between 8-9’ long and 3-4’ tall, with some type of solar lighting. Landscaping will also be updated. We are hoping to keep each option will cost in the $10-15K range. If approved, this project would be privately funded, and the Dallas Parks Foundation (DPF) will asisit in helping fundraise. For more info about the DPF, see the next page.

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LOCHWOOD ANNUAL NEWSLETTER I APRIL 2021

OPTION 1: A concrete foundation and structure,

with a cor-ten steel sheet that wraps around the side, and bird fixtures (from the Lochwood promotional logo). With metal lettering attached to the sheet.

OPTION 2: A concrete foundation with a stone structure that

resembles White Rock Lake park signage, a Corten steel sheet and bird fixtures (from the Lochwood promotional logo), and metal lettering attached to the sheet. With a green "historical" marker (metal) will be attached to the stone wall.

OPTION 3: A concrete foundation with 3 Corten steel coyote silhouette

fixtures placed a few feet apart from each other for dimension.

With metal lettering and a green "historical" marker (metal) attached to the large coyote in the middle.

OPTION 4: A concrete foundation with a stone structure that

resembles MCM stone, a Corten steel sheet and bird fixtures (from the Lochwood promotional logo), and metal lettering attached to the sheet. With a green "historical" marker (metal) attached to the stone wall.

PROPOSED FERNALD BRIDGE BEAUTIFICATION

OPTION 1: MOSAIC MURAL Community involved paint project.

The paint would be donated. Cost: Minimal.

THE BRIDGE ENTRANCE INTO OUR NEIGHBOHOOD at Fernald and

OPTION 2: STONE, PAINT & STEEL Stone bookends that would

E. Lake Highlands is an utilitarian, concrete eyesore, with the ends covered in grey city paint due to taggers. It is not a representation of what a gateway to Lochwood should be. We can do better. Below, are 3 options that have been approved by the board to be put to a neighborhood vote. If a beautification option is chosen (you will have the option to not do anything), the City Public Works Dept. will be contacted for their approval, sign contracts, receive permits, etc. Options 2 & 3 would require private fundraising.

match the monument signage nearby, with fixtures, painted ficus and lettering. Professionally done. Cost: Moderate to Expensive (depending on muralist cost & stone discount).

OPTION 3: STONE & STEEL A full stone facing treatment that

would match the stone used on the monument signage nearby, with fixtures. Professionally done. Cost: Moderate - Expensive (depending on stone discount).

CURRENT

1. MOSAIC MURAL

2. STONE ENDS, PAINTED FICUS/LETTERING & STEEL FIXTURES

3. STONE FACING WITH STEEL FIXTURES

TAX DEDUCTIBLE FUNDRAISING SOURCE IF A SIGNAGE AND BRIDGE OPTION IS CHOSEN that requires private funding, we would fundraise

through the Dallas Parks Foundation (DPF). The DPF is an independent 501(c)3 organization that exists to support the needs of the entire Dallas Parks & Recreation system, as well as neighborhood improvements.

By fundraising through the DPF, your donation is tax-deductible. In addition, the DPF allows for corporate matching. When an option is determined, we'll direct you to donate via a link that they will provide. For residents without internet access, you will be provided the vote results via a mailer with donation mail-in info.

APRIL 2021 I LOCHWOOD ANNUAL NEWSLETTER

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THANKS TO & PLEASE SUPPORT OUR WONDERFUL SPONSORS

THANKS TO & PLEASE SUPPORT OUR WONDERFUL SPONSORS

THANKS TO & PLEASE SUPPORT OUR WONDERFUL SPONSORS

New Leaf Tree, LLC Honest, Modern, and Safety Minded

e, L f Tre Lea New

LC

214-850-1528

ISA Certified Arborist TX-3337A

LOCHWOOD PARTNERSHIPS THE LOCHWOOD NA HAS STARTED PARTNERING WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES TO OFFER SPECIAL, DISCOUNTED, OR FREE PRODUCTS/SERVICES TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD. If you have a business product or service, and are interested in giving back to the community by partnering with the LNA, please email info@lochwood.com.

BALLOONS FOR ALL OCCASIONS

LOCHWOOD MAP ICONS

NEIGHBOR MEGAN SMITH IS GRACIOUSLY DISCOUNTING HER PRICES FOR BALLOONS TO LOCHWOOD RESIDENTS. A PERCENTAGE OF THE SALES WILL BE DONATED TO THE LNA AND REILLY ELEMENTARY.

NEIGHBORS ALEXIS FLORES & JESSE RODRIGUEZ WITH JRAF STUDIO ARE OFFERING THIS REALLY COOL, MCM/RETRO LOOKING CUSTOM CUT OUT OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD!

Please contact Megan for more info and pricing:

IN THE AIR

503-575-6653 intheairballoons@gmail.com intheairballoons.com

In return for each “map icon” bought, Alexis & Jesse are donating $10 to the LNA and $5 to the Reilly Elementary PTA! These icons can be mapped in acrylic or wood and are approximately 9” in diameter (other materials are also offered upon request). And, the Wood/Wood option can even be personalized with your specific lot!

PRICING: WOOD MAP ON WOOD - $70 WOOD MAP ON ACRYLIC - $65 Email JRAF Studio at alexis@jraf-studio.com with your name, contact info, and selected material.

Shown: Wood on Wood

Photo by Elena Richey

LOCHWOOD APPAREL Dowdy Studio

Pick an apparel style, color, and print color, and Dowdy Studio will “Live Print” your order right then and there - coming to you hot off the press! In the case of a line, you have the option of picking up your order at a later time.

Photo by Jackie Meagher

LOCHWOOD PET ID TAGS www.dogtagart.com/lochwood

Lochwood Pet Owners! We are on a quest to easily identify our Lochwood pets and help them reunite with their owners if lost!

2 tag sizes and 5 colors to choose from. Order online and it will be drop-shipped to your address.

FOR EVERY TAG SOLD, $1 WILL GO TO THE LNA. JUST $12.99 PER TAG. Pay with CC or by PayPal. Thanks for keeping our pets safe and for supporting Lochwood!

Dowdy Studio Pricing: - Men’s tees: $28 - Women’s tees & tanks: $28 - Kids tees: $25 - Hoodies: $45 - Long sleeve shirt tee: $35 - Women's cut Sweatshirt: $40

Dowdy Studio 1165 Peavy Rd, Dallas, TX 817.688.0577 dowdystudio@gmail.com dowdystudio.com

APRIL 2021 I LOCHWOOD ANNUAL NEWSLETTER

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SANTA STROLLING BLUEJAY GRABBING A QUICK BITE PLAYGROUND CLOSED , THANKS COVID LOCHWOOD'S GOLFCART CARAVAN COMMUNITY OPPOSITE PAGE: AERIAL OF A WINTERIZED LOCHWOOD TOYLAND

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LOCHWOOD ANNUAL NEWSLETTER I APRIL 2021

Photos by Rich Milne, Michael Ytem, Rich Milne & Jackie Meagher Opposite page photo by Michael Ytem

PO Box 180456 Dallas, Texas 75218 Lochwood.com

GOOD-NATURED FAMILY-FRIENDLY

Photos by Patricia Anderson, Lori Hooper, Katherine Bowen, Thomas Buck, Kendra Nichols

LNA BOARD MEMBERS AND NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERS PRESIDENT

Scott Robson

VICE PRESIDENT

John Jones

TREASURER

Gene Meysenburg

treasurer@lochwood.com

SECRETARY

Carol Newman

secretary@lochwood.com

SNAP

Carol Newman snap@lochwood.com

BEAUTIFICATION CLEAN THE GREEN

president@lochwood.com vicepresident@lochwood.com

Hilary Killam Helen Stettler

BULK TRASH SIGNS

Karen & Nick Ramos

COMMUNICATIONS

John Jones & Thomas Buck

SPONSORSHIP

Thomas Buck

sponsorship@lochwood.com

VOLUNTEERS IN PATROL (VIP) drive in pairs, walk and ride throughout the neighborhood, on the lookout for any suspicious behavior.

VIP 1099/1114 LEADERS: Carol Newman & Susan Hill VIP 1113 LEADERS: Pat Kidd & Phyllis Rhodes LOCHWOOD WALKING GROUP

vip1099@lochwood.com vip1113@lochwood.com Crystal Bedsole

READY TO BE A RAM (RTBAR) Provides fun, educational, and social opportunities to

future M.T. Reilly Elementary families.

Elisha Shelton, Megan Luckie & Alexis Flores

LOCHWOOD PARENTS GROUP Brings families together to have fun, share life experiences, and build each other up.

Candice Brandvold lochwoodpg@gmail.com

Special Thanks To Neighbor Owned CorDirect For Their Printing Expertise

2809 National Drive

Garland, TX 75041

Raul Ruiz/469.268.6641