On Dec. 8, Councilman Glenn Box and I hosted a Town Hall meeting at Lake Highlands High School to solicit suggestions for projects to be included in the May 1995 Bond Election.
While it was advertised as a meeting, in reality it was a rally in support of White Rock Lake and other projects. The audience of about 400 were almost unanimously supportive of dredging White Rock Lake.
Glenn and I support this project and will work to convince our colleagues to vote to include it. However, the price tag is huge, and it may be a hard sell. If you know other members of the Council, please contact them about this critical issue.
Many of those attending encouraged us to include money to expand Lake Highlands North Recreation Center. The Center currently supports a wide variety of programs for citizens of all ages.
The Seniors Active in Life group has more than 400 members, more than twice the capacity of the largest meeting room. Several after-school programs are located at the center, and anyone who has visited in the afternoon knows it is wall-to-wall kids.
Other projects that were discussed include erosion control, street resurfacing and land acquisition north of LBJ Freeway.
If you have specific projects you’d like to recommend, now is the time. City staff will bring recommendations to the Council in January, and by mid-February, we will put together the final list for approval on Feb. 22 or March 1.
As the minister says: “Speak now or forever hold your peace.” Well, maybe not forever, but certainly until the next bond election, probably in 1998.
Follow Up Issues
- On Dec. 14, the Council unanimously approved the final draft of the Dallas Plan. Now, the real work begins. In January, we will approve the “25 for 95” list of initiatives. Let’s hope we can accomplish them.
- To those who are interested in the Arbor Park closure application, only 40 percent of the ballots supported the closure. With so few responses in favor, the City will not pursue the request.
