Annual Meeting Agenda 2015

Scenic Shores Neighborhood Association

Annual Meeting - October 3, 2015

Resolved Issues:

Lake dredging.
Installation of safety wall in center of Jacksboro Highway bridge.
TXDot Mess on Jacksboro Highway
Casino Beach Traffic on Watercress - Casino Beach Project cancelled.

Issues Underway:

1) Love Circle Park Revitalization

Completed park cleanup (batting cages, derelict buildings, etc.)
Installed irrigation and planted 65 trees in Jan 2014. Planted 120 trees in 2015.
Funding secured in 2015 for improvements (jogging trail, etc.). Work scheduled to begin in 2016.

No playground / shelter / parking – maintain the site as a passive use open space / naturalized area
No trail encroachment into the forested area at the south end of the park
Light levels can be easily modified so that just enough illumination can be provided to observe activity in the park without creating a lighted parking lot’ effect.
Park encircled with cabling for reduced access to motorized vehicles.

2) Bike Trails

Phase I construction from end of Trinity Trails in River Oaks (e.g. “Burger’s Lake”) to Arrow S Park will begin August 2016.

General estimate of completion of trail around the lake is 2018 to 2019.

3) Water & Sewer

Love Circle (and Surfside) - Design complete. Water and sewer installation in Spring of 2016

Watercress (e.g. Peninsula Club Circle, Island View, etc) - Fort Worth has completed installation of water main. Fort Worth is waiting to connect residents until resolution of Town of Lakeside dispute with Fort Worth over annexation of the Ella Young Addition. Sewer installation estimated to begin in 2018.

4) Jacksboro Highway Corridor Annexation

Fort Worth is 3 years into the process of annexing the area. Currently, Fort Worth is suing Lakeside for a preemptive illegal annexation. Fort Worth expects to complete annexation in 2016.

5) Sunset Park and Peninsula Club Preservation

More work needs to be done to finding agreement between neighbors to create action plan.

6) Crime Fighting Efforts - Working toward a comprehensive plan.

Coordinated Security Plan for Lake Worth

(Working Document - being discussed by other three NA’s)

Purpose of plan: To implement a set of achievable, measurable, and economically feasible goals to enhance the security and safety for lake residents and lake guests.

Security issues: In addition to crime issues common to the entire city, the lake experiences an additional layer of issues. These issues include the vandalism and dumping issues to the extensive park properties, theft of water-specific equipment such as boats and tackle, drowning and injury from lake use, and the increase of all types of crime due to the numerous guests who visit the lake. These issues not only affect the residents of the lake but also the guests who wish to enjoy the lake. For the safety of all citizens, the security in and around the lake is critically important.

Solutions:

Unify park hours around lake - The FWPD has requested that all parks around Lake Worth share the same hours. In its current hodgepodge state of widely varying opening and closing times, policing the park hours is difficult if not impossible by beat patrols. By having all lake parks enjoy the same hours, policing the park hours becomes an efficient and doable task.

Evaluation of infrastructure - Each neighborhood needs to evaluate its infrastructure for needed additions and/or repairs. Infrastructure improvements would include:

Fencing / cabling - Fencing and cabling could be used in a variety of ways including discouraging lake guests from infringing on private property, reduce illegal dumping, and to control traffic damage to natural areas.

Park hours signage - Clearly marked park hours will help policing of the area and reduce undesirable activities which could result in injury or crime.

“On lake” and park location markers - Clearly marked “location signs” would help guests and residents communicate with law enforcement as to the specific location needing service. Location markers would be put in strategic locations in and around the lake.

New park infrastructure - New park improvements should be considered in locations heavily used by the public but which currently lack adequate infrastructure for such use. Proper infrastructure reduces environmental damage and promotes safety.

Evaluation of policing resources - The Fort Worth city government currently expends policing resources for the security of lake residents and lake guests. A fresh evaluation of these resources could result in more efficient use of resources and a corresponding increase in security.

Issue 1: Two police beats - The lake currently is broken into two police beats. Each beat covers not only the lake but also wide swaths of the city.

Issue 2: Lake Marshal - A “lake marshal” currently offices on the shoreline. Once funded by land leases, the lake marshal now finds itself with little or no revenue since the leased land has been sold to lake residents. Moreover, the Marshal’s authority for patrol has waxed and waned between patrolling only the water, to patrolling the land and water, to not patrolling at all.

Issue 3: Confusion in policing - Given the fact that the lake is separated from the main portion of the City of Fort Worth by several communities as well its general rural setting, policing has suffered from confusion. Emergency 911 calls frequently are routed to the wrong municipalities and police frequently cannot find addresses.

Unify policing resources for a “lake beat” - By having a single “lake beat,” issues occurring around the lake can be addressed by a single unified patrol rather than a divided one. This would increase the efficiency of finding addresses as well as understanding patrol issues unique to the lake.

Unify land / water lake patrol - Many policing issues cannot be neatly divided between “water” and “land.” For example, theft, drowning, and safety issues frequently move from shore to lake to shore. Allocate the property equipment and trained personnel to address the issues unique to the lake.

Schedule policing for peak guest times - Like other specific areas of the city, the lake attracts a large number of guests. Allocating resources during peak visiting times would save resources by applying them when needed most. Given the seasonal and weekly nature of the lake’s guests, patrolling primarily should be scheduled for warmer months, weekends, and holidays. Normal residential levels of patrolling should be adequate when fewer guests are at the lake.

Improve communication between police and neighborhood members - Create a better strategy for 911 callers to identify their locations.

Promote home safety practices of individual residents - Lake residents would be encouraged to add “strategic security layers” to protect themselves including:

Lighting

Signs

Fencing

Locking and securing property

Alarms

Cameras

Promote neighborhood-wide safety strategies - Neighborhood associations could engage in neighborhood-wide strategies for increasing their security including:

Neighborhood signage

Neighborhood watch strategies

Educate neighbors on security

Encourage neighbors to report crime

Neighborhood communication

Water Levels on Lake Worth

People frequently ask "how high can the water go?" There are several answers to this question. To understand the "elevations" of the lake, we first need to talk about the dam.

While the top of the dam is at 594 feet above sea level, the original 1914 design drawings called for the crest elevation (the highest water) to be 606.3. In 1997 the crest elevation of the dam's embankment was raised to 609.5 ft. so that the spillway could pass the probable maximum flood without the dam's embankments being overtopped.

The lake has never come anywhere near the 609.5 level. According to some records, the highest crest was in 1990 when the lake reached 598.7.

Here are the "official" lake levels:

594 - Normal Pool (full to the top of the dam)
597 - Minor Flood Stage
598 - Moderate Flood Stage
598.7 - Recorded high (1990)

Here are some historic high levels:

1990 598.7 - flood stage
2004 597.8 - flood stage
2007 596.1 - 11" under flood stage

At the 596 level, many docks are underwater and some of the homes on the lake are near to getting water in them.

If you live on the lake or are considering a purchase, you should understand the possible implications of high water. It's not a matter of "if" but "when."

(Photo by Angie Myrick Thomas 2015)

Dear Charlie Geren - PLEASE HELP! TXDOT is trashing our neighborhood!

5/8/2015 UPDATE: TXDOT says they will have the site cleared by "mid-Summer." TXDOT said they wanted to continue using the site on a "temporary basis." The neighborhood clearly communicated to TXDOT, Charlie Geren's office, and Dennis Shingleton's office that the neighborhood will vigorously oppose any further industrial use of the site - whether the use is permanent or "temporary."

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Over the past decade, the neighbors around Lake Worth have put enormous effort into revitalizing the area. Things we have accomplished: $20m dredging of the lake, $80m water and sewer projects, $18m bicycle trails around the lake (underway), numerous park improvements.

One historic park, Love Circle Park, has been the focus of enormous effort. Eight years ago, the park looked derelict. Over that time, we have cleaned the park of debris and planted 200 trees. A jogging trail is scheduled to be installed in 2016.

However, during that time, TXDOT has increasingly used the highway easement adjacent to the park as an industrial staging area. TXDOT's activity is undermining our neighborhood's efforts at revitalization. The TXDOT mess on the highway communicates to the public that no one cares about the neighborhood. This is not true.

We now respectfully ask the Honorable Representative Charlie Geren for help. We ask that he instruct TXDOT to cease from using our neighborhood as a staging ground. Remove the equipment. Remove the gravel. Remove the barriers. Return our neighborhood to us. With all due respect to TXDOT and its important functions, this is our neighborhood. We care about it.

Above, I have included a video. Below, I have a map with the TXDOT area circled in red and pictures of the mess. (The area is just west of where Jacksboro Highway crosses Lake Worth.) As you can see, when the satellite picture was taken, there were only a couple of objects there. Today, the area now looks like a full blown industrial site. Not only is this area in a neighborhood, it represents the "Gateway to Lake Worth." With 50,000 people going by this each day, this area creates the impression most people have of the lake area. This mess is the first impression for anyone visiting the lake or the the Fort Worth Nature Center.

Here is beautiful Love Circle Park, just behind the TXDOT mess.

Bike Traill - Phase I (PowerPoint Presentation)

Here is the PowerPoint Presentation on Phase I of the bike trail around Lake Worth:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9w-tYu1b-N4MjlybDFTN29qUF9KMFFmcHJ4WUZycjNxb1Bv/view?usp=sharing

Neighborhood Meeting - Oct 4 2014

Here are the notes from the neighborhood meeting: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_YbqGragrp8ZZVV2GQx3XhNEPBNsOsOEpZ1LI8nePDI/edit?usp=sharing

Love Circle Park Master Plan

Planted 65 trees in Jan 2014. Hoping to plant 120 trees this year.
Funding and scheduled work for improvements (jogging trail, etc.) to begin in 2016.

No playground / shelter / parking – maintain the site as a passive use open space / naturalized area
No trail encroachment into the forested area at the south end of the park
Light levels can be easily modified so that just enough illumination can be provided to observe activity in the park without creating a lighted parking lot’ effect.
Park encircled with cabling for reduced access to motorized vehicles.
Removal of “the road to nowhere”.

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From: Creek, David
Sent: Tuesday, July 29, 2014 12:54 PM
To: Roop, Sami L.
Cc: Zavala, Richard; Bounds, Paul S.; Youngblood, Sandra; Penn, Scott; Rice, Tonda; McElhany, Joel; Adams, Melinda J.
Subject: Love Circle Park

Sami,

Water Department has identified funding in the amount of $200k for future improvements to LoveCircle Park in their FY16 portion of the Lake Worth Improvement Funding Plan. This plan projects funding so things could change between now and then as you know, but Water does anticipate that the funds will be available.

Our Trades Infrastructure group will construct these improvements and Scott Penn has added the project to his crews work plan to begin by the 2^nd qtr. of FY16. The construction schedule may be pushed up to the 1^st qtr. if crews are ahead of schedule at that point.

I hope the neighborhood group will be happy to learn that funding is now identified and that a project is in a schedule to occur. If you would like, we will leave the neighborhood notification of this advancement to you and Dennis. If you want us to let them know, that would not be a problem.

If you have any questions please let me know.

David Creek

Assistant Director

Parks and Community Services Department

City of Fort Worth

817-392-5744

David.creek@FortWorthTexas.gov

City of Fort Worth — Working together to build a strong community

Proposed Security Plan for Lake Worth (the lake)

An increase in crime around the lake has prompted a coordinated effort between the four neighborhood associations around Lake Worth. Here is a working document for a proposed security plan. Once the plan is complete and has reached agreement between the associations, then the proposal will be taken to city leaders.

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Coordinated Security Plan for Lake Worth

Purpose of plan: To implement a set of achievable, measurable, and economically feasible goals to enhance the security and safety for lake residents and lake guests.

Solutions:

Evaluation of infrastructure - Each neighborhood needs to evaluate its infrastructure for needed additions and/or repairs. Infrastructure improvements would include:

Park hours signage - Clearly marked park hours will help policing of the area and reduce undesirable activities which could result in injury or crime.

Issue 1: Two police beats - The lake currently is broken into two police beats. Each beat covers not only the lake but also wide swaths of the city.

Improve communication between police and neighborhood members - Create a better strategy for 911 callers to identify their locations.

Promote home safety practices of individual residents - Lake residents would be encouraged to add “strategic security layers” to protect themselves including:

Lighting

Signs

Fencing

Locking and securing property

Alarms

Cameras

Promote neighborhood-wide safety strategies - Neighborhood associations could engage in neighborhood-wide strategies for increasing their security including:

Neighborhood signage

Neighborhood watch strategies

Educate neighbors on security

Encourage neighbors to report crime

Neighborhood communication

Sunset Park and Peninsula Club Circle Meeting

Here are the notes from Sunday's Scenic Shores Neighborhood meeting in Sunset Park. I've also included a quick snap from the Parks map showing Peninsula Club Circle as a proposed trail head for the bicycle trail.

Love Circle Park Tree Planting

Dear Friends:

Thank you for helping to reforest Love Circle Park. Situated in the "Gateway to Lake Worth," the health of this signature park speaks to the 50,000 people per day who drive Jacksboro Highway. As a vibrant park, it will communicate the importance of the lake to the the citizens of Fort Worth.

Because of your help, the tree planting was a huge success. Over 80 people helped plant 60 trees. Groups that helped included the four neighborhood associations on Lake Worth, the Lake Worth Centennial Committee, Boy Scout troop 243, and kids from All Saints Episcopal School. Councilman Singleton enthusiastically helped and planted trees.

I have included links to the pictures of the event below.

All pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/113984683703970310549/TreePlantingOfLoveCirclePark?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCOzdq--w9fCAXQ&feat=directlink

Sincerely,

Michael Dallas
President
Scenic Shores Neighborhood

Dredging in the News - Fort Worth Star Telegram - 9/27/2012

Lake Worth dredging, one small part of big plan, moves ahead

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/09/26/4291686/lake-worth-dredging-one-small.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy

BY SCOTT NISHIMURA

snishimura@star-telegram.com

FORT WORTH - For a massive operation involving the movement of millions of cubic yards of silt, the dredging at Lake Worth is a surprisingly quiet project.

One reason that sucking huge amounts of silt out of Lake Worth after years of talk can be done so quietly and unobtrusively is that the debris is being transported via a pipe to a composter 1.7 miles away.

The dredging, one piece of a long-envisioned

Dredging Update - Shoreline Maps - 8/16/2012

August 16, 2012

Here are the latest maps showing the plans for dredging near the shoreline:

Map1 - overall map:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B9w-tYu1b-N4NXNjWnVfeWV1WUU

Map 2 - near Castle:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B9w-tYu1b-N4RktsVkpVS3ZSUWs

Map 3 - near Boat and Ski Club and Casino Beach:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B9w-tYu1b-N4eWRPUENYUERocTA

Dredging Update - 7/10/2012

July 10, 2012

Fort Worth Water Department Employees have sent the following update:
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"The long awaited booster pumps have arrived from Mississippi. They are currently being assembled and installed on a barge. At the same time the discharge and return pipelines are being installed to Silver Creek Materials. The current schedule calls for dredging to begin July 16th. You can anticipate seeing the dredge and the other barges on the lake this week moving into position to the west of Goat Island. The submerged electrical cable will run from Casino Beach to the booster barge west of Goat Island. The discharge pipeline will run from the dredging barge to a point just south of where Live Oak Creek enters Lake Worth. I have attached a copy of the sign that will be posted at the boat ramps.

Great Lake Dredge and Dock has given us a schedule for the Phase 1 Dredging. Please refer to the attached map for the location of the various areas and the dredging schedule.

I have also attached a map of the various areas and the desired completion date for any private boat dock dredging in that area. We will be sending out private boat dock permitting information to dock owners in Areas H, F, I and J next week. The remaining areas will receive their permitting information 90 days prior to the desired completion date for private boat dock dredging. Permitting information will also be posted on the Water Department’s website."

Dredging Sign:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B9w-tYu1b-N4QTAyQnl1bVZRNjA

Dredging Dates by Area of Lake:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B9w-tYu1b-N4MkNUWExrWnd0MUE

Private Boat Dock Dredge Completion Dates:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B9w-tYu1b-N4RXJWcWRyLWROWHc

Two Big Issues - Dredging & LWRCC - Jan 2012

If you can't see the video above, click or copy the following link into your browser: http://www.youtube.com/v/4mfEEsGWql0

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.