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Summary:
Two Big Issues - Lake Worth Dredging & LWRCC - Jan 2012
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Transcript:
Two huge things are happening right now around the lake. The biggest thing on everyone’s minds right now is the dredge. City council has approved a bid. The dredging should start in about a month - somewhere around the first of March. There are a few details that you should know.
One of the most important things about the dredge, it that it will be electric. Once the dredge starts, it will run 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Since the dredging equipment will be electric powered, the lake will be a lot quieter than if diesel powered equipment had been used. The dredge will take about 7 months to complete. This would put the finishing point around Thanksgiving. However, it is highly likely that more areas will be added to the work order.
City employees are in discussion with the Corps of Engineers about certain areas of the lake being wetlands. Rather than delaying the dredge, these areas have been set aside until agreement can be reached. The current contract is for those areas without issues. Once the issues have been settled, other areas will be added to the dredge. That means the dredge may go longer than Thanksgiving. The dredging may stretch into the Spring.
The next “big thing” going on is the formation of the Lake Worth Regional Coordinating Committee. I cannot overemphasize how important this is. As you may remember, we pushed very very hard to make sure neighborhood association leaders would be on this committee. Well, the committee had it first meeting on Thursday, January 19th, 2012. It was wonderful!
To form the committee, Councilman Shingleton invited 21 community members. These members included local governments, non-profits, major property owners, the base, the North Central Texas Council of Governments, and, of course, the neighborhood associations. Councilman Shingleton chairs the committee. I have included a list of the members below.
In the first meeting, city employees from various departments presented an overview. Each made presentations about their plans for the area. Presentations were made by the Parks Department, the Water Department, and the Planning and Development Department. A presentation was also made by the North Central Texas Council of Governments.
I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to see all of the information from the disparate departments coming together in one place. It’s also wonderful to see important community leaders putting their collective heads together and thinking about what the lake area means to citizens of Fort Worth.
The next meeting will be Thursday, March 22nd at 2:00P in the City of Lake Worth. The topic will be parks and greenspace. One of the big issues to be discussed at the meeting is the question of what is park land and what is “city owned land” - that is not parks. A study is being conducted by city employees on this question. I believe the results of that study will be presented at the meeting.
The meeting is open for the public to observe. So, if you want to come and watch, you can. I cannot overemphasize that we are at this point because of you. When you stay informed, you participate, and you vote, it makes a huge difference. So, stay informed, stay active, and stay in the loop. We’re in this together. I’m Michael Dallas.
Lake Worth Regional Coordinating Committee members:
Local Government
Dennis Shingleton, Council Member, City of Fort Worth,
Chairman Jim Wietholter, City Plan Commissioner, City of Fort Worth
Brett McGuire, City Manager, City of Lake Worth
Dianna Buchanan, Town Administrator, Town of Lakeside
J.D. Johnson, Commissioner, Tarrant County
Mark Riley, County Judge, Parker County
Lakeshore Neighborhood Leaders
Joe Waller, President, Lake Worth Alliance
Patricia Hyer, President, East Lake Worth Neighborhood Association
Gale Cupp, President, Neighborhood Association on South Lake Worth
Michael Barnard, President, North Lake Worth Neighborhood Association
Michael Dallas, President, Scenic Shores Neighborhood Association
Jim and Diane Smith, City of Lake Worth residents
Major Property Owners
Doug Woodson, Hickman Investment, Ltd.
Kenneth Davis, Cassco Land Co., Inc.
Robert (Bob) Manthei, Regulatory Affairs Coordination, XTO Energy Inc.
Nonprofit and Develeopment Stakeholders
Mark Ernst, Water Quality Manager, Tarrant Regional Water District
Adelaide Leavens, Executive Director, Streams and Valleys, Inc.
Rick Shepherd, President, Friends of the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge, Inc.
Tom Huffhines, Board Member, Greater Fort Worth Real Estate Council
Lee Nicol, Partner, Harris Nicol & Welborn Development Partners LLC
Ex Officio
Captain Robert Bennett, Commanding Officer, and Rachel Wiggins, Community Plans and Liaison Officer, NAS Fort Worth JRB
Sam Brush, Manager of Environment & Development, NCTCOG
Meeting Agenda - Thursday, January 19, 2012
Lake Worth Regional Coordination Committee
Tarrant County Sheriffs Office North Patrol,
6651 Lake Worth Blvd.
AGENDA
1. Welcome and Purpose Councilmember Dennis Shingleton, Chair
2. Introductions Committee Members
3. Lake Worth Vision Plan Overview Eric Fladager, City of Fort Worth
Planning and Development Department
4. Lake Worth Capital Improvement Paul Bounds, City of Fort Worth
Implementation Plan Update Water Department
5. Regional Watershed Greenprinting Sam Brush, North Central Texas
Council of Governments,
Environment and Development Department
6. Lake Worth Parkland Designation David Creek, City of Fort Worth
Review Parks and Community Services Department
7. Public Comments All
8. Proposed Next Meeting: Thursday, March 22, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
