News Notes

Yesterday, I went down to our public pool at Kellis Park. A small place with a little cement brick guard house, two or three guards on duty, three drink machines, and a couple trees, our local pool could perhaps accommodate 50 swimmers. Not as fancy as Forest Park, but not as crowded, either.

I was surprised to meet, while I was there, with a girl I had been teaching in music last spring. I asked her where she lived. “Over in the South Side, over by the school,” she said. “My dad had the day off today, he drove us out here.”

“Isn’t there a pool closer to the school than this?” It’s about eight miles, after all. No, there is not. This is the closest for her family.

Of course, and perhaps sadly, many of the type who make spending decisions in this city have never considered going to the public pool, since they have their home or a club or an association to patronize, so they have no concept of the fact that most of the 78,000 students in the FWISD will not be going to the pool this summer, because they would have to be driven there by their parents, who are busy, or don’t have a car, or are at work, and because the pools are too few and too small for the need, which means they are overcrowded and this impairs lifeguard’s ability to enforce rules and keep the peace.

I’ve heard that the City is about to cut its budget, so I suppose this is a crazy time to suggest that investment in parks infrastructure, pools to be specific, is indicated. But honestly, how much of the $1.2 billion budget of this city would be needed to beef up the pools? We’ve just had a huge repair job done on the drainage to West Creek Road two blocks from me, when in fact, no appreciable problem existed with the drainage or the paving, whereas the vast majority of Fort Worth’s children have no effective access to public swimming or swimming lessons this summer or any of the 7 summers we have been here.

The City has spent plenty of money on police (recently having announced that no money will be cult from the police budget, naturally). Is law enforcement perhaps considered more important to our City fathers because there is no private way of hiring a police force, and there is a private way of getting your kids to the pool?

This is a reminder to those city councilpersons who are working on the budget that for most of Fort Worth’s schoolchildren, private pools are not available. And when you create a city where there is no safe place for children to recreate and play, you are creating a city which will have a much greater need for a police force.

A stitch in time saves nine. Please consider taking a look at Kellis Park Pool, or at the crowded conditions at Forest Park Pool, and consider whether this is an adequate level of public pool service for a first-rate community.

In the town where I grew up, we had three public pools for 50,000 people, or one pool for every 16,ooo people or so. Here in Fort Worth, we have 7 for 750,000, or about 1 pool for 100,000.Does this seem like not enough swimming? I think we can do better.

FORT WORTH – Colored lights will illuminate the night sky during a festive block party June 25 when the Avenue of Light on Lancaster Avenue is turned on for the first time.

Avenue of Light, a public art project, consists of six stainless steel sculptures that incorporate energy-efficient LED lights and tower 36 feet high. They’ve been installed along the median from Lamar Street to Main/Commerce Street.

The public is invited to this free party. Speakers will include Mayor Mike Moncrief, Mayor Pro Tem Kathleen Hicks, Council Member Joel Burns and the artist, Cliff Garten.

The event begins at 8:30 p.m. at the northeast corner of Lancaster Avenue and Throckmorton Street, where light refreshments will be served. The program starts at 9:00 p.m. with remarks. The sculptures will then become a “canvas” for a color light program lasting about 30 minutes and created especially for the occasion.

Lancaster Avenue will be closed to traffic 8-10 p.m. from Throckmorton to Houston streets. Parking is available two blocks north at the new Fort Worth Convention Center Parking Garage.

The City of Fort Worth’s public art program commissioned Avenue of Light as part of Lancaster Avenue’s reconstruction. The sculptures’ contemporary design was inspired by the nearby Texas & Pacific Terminal’s Art Deco architectural details.

Lancaster Avenue’s reconstruction is a catalyst for future economic development along the corridor. Median landscaping will be part of a future phase of the project.

Avenue of Light will be illuminated nightly from dusk to dawn beginning June 26.

The Arts Council of Fort Worth and Tarrant County administers the city’s public art program. Fort Worth Public Art creates an enhanced visual environment for Fort Worth residents, commemorates the city’s rich cultural and ethnic diversity, integrates the design work of artists into the development of the City’s capital infrastructure improvements, and promotes tourism and economic vitality in the city through the artistic design of public spaces. For more information visit www.fwpublicart.org.

From a press release by the City:

FORT WORTH — After the completion of the 2008 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), the City Council was informed today that the city’s financial books are current, verified and in order. The important announcement is a culmination of more than four years of significant improvements to the city’s financial reporting and internal processes.

“Words can’t describe how it feels to know the city is current on its CAFRs,” said Finance Director Lena Ellis. “Now that our financial records have been verified, we can focus clearly on the future to ensure the city’s financial house remains in order.”

In 2005, the Council learned that the city had fallen behind on its annual financial reporting obligations. Because the CAFR is the report card of the city’s financial health and performance to investors, it can greatly influence the city’s cost to sell bonds that pay for major infrastructure and other essential needs.

Now that the city has current audited financial statements, it can sell bonds in the public market at lower interest rates and with better repayment terms. Moreover, it gives the City Council a clear picture of the city’s financial landscape heading into of one of the toughest city budgets in recent history.

“Because of the serious implications to our taxpayers, the CAFRs have remained a top priority for the Council and city management. It’s about accountability and being transparent.” said Councilmember Jungus Jordan, who chairs the city’s Audit and Finance Committee. “A lot of people have put in some extremely long hours away from their families working with antiquated systems to get Fort Worthback on track. On behalf of our citizens, we can’t thank them enough for their commitment to this important mission.”

Mayor Mike Moncrief said the CAFRs have a lot to do with the confidence people have in their city, and he appreciates everyone who was involved in reaching this major milestone.

“This Council and City Manager along with our staff have remained focused on meeting our deadline for this CAFR and getting our financial house in order,” Moncrief said. “We have committed major resources to this effort; and while we still have a lot of work to do, we are well on our way to putting the city back on course when it comes to responsibly accounting for taxpayer dollars.”

Successfully meeting the Council’s goal to have the CAFRs completed by the summer of this year is the result of not only hard work on the part of the City Council and staff, but several organizational changes as well.

The City Council created the Audit and Finance Committee in 2006 to ensure the city’s finances are more accountable to the people. The Fiscal Accountability Committee was formed to improve inter-departmental consistency and communication. And, new leadership, including Assistant City Manager Karen Montgomery and Finance Director Lena Ellis – along with additional certified public accountants and other essential staff – were brought in to add expertise and set a strategic corrective course. Working side by side with the City Council and staff were also teams of outside financial and management experts.

The completion of the 2008 CAFR is not only significant because it brings the city’s financial books current, but also because it’s based on improved internal financial controls. These controls add another line of defense against potential weaknesses in the management of the city’s finances.

To further enhance the city’s ability to accurately and effectively manage its finances going forward, a new automated financial reporting system – known as an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system – will be purchased this year and is expected to go live in 2012.

The CAFRs are required each year to detail the financial condition and performance of the city. The reports also reflect the independent auditors’ assurance that the city of Fort Worth has fairly presented its financial position and that all funds are accounted for and verified.

Familiar and exotic flowers and stonework decorate the six homes of the Historic Fort Worth Hidden Gardens Tour

If you’re a gardener or a plant lover, next weekend you may want to check out the Hidden Gardens Tour sponsored by Historic Fort Worth. A kind of pub crawl for plant lovers, this year the tour will visit gardens in the area surrounding Ridgelea Country Club. Ridgelea has just come of an age eligible for historic preservation, and with its large-sized lots and many period (1950′s era) details and landscape design concepts, it turns out to be an excellent site for exploring the potential of gardening in North Texas.

A Japanese style bridge arches cozily over a swimming pool in this Asian-themed garden on the tour

The tour consists of 6 homes. The gardens were chosen for creative use of space, diverse plantings, unique sites, ourdoor living, and overall aesthetics.

The owners of the homes on the tour have incorporated stonework, statuary, water, both natural and engineered, and plantings of shrubs, groundcovers, flowers and trees both local and exotic to create separate worlds in their own backyards.

The flavor of the tour is both nostalgic and optomistic.  In the 50′s, automobiles had just become the general mode of transit, the country was growing rapidly, and people expected prosperity and expansion. As you walk through the gardens, you can see how the designers  incorporated the outdoor ideals of that age, using large windows in the houses, creating outdoor patios off the kitchen for dining al fresco,  or placing a wooden bench just where you’d need it for relaxing under a tree. Looking out over boats tied up on one of Ridgelea’s two secluded lakes, one does seems to have stepped into a another time.

A swan comes to investigate the garden tour at a home off Bal Lake

Arching trees form a canopy over the backyard of this contemporary home next to a creek, making for a secluded retreat.

I visited the gardens yesterday morning with the docent/volunteers who were getting ready to host the event. They will be stationed along the tour, meeting people at the various houses and answering questions. Many of these garden hosts are Tarrant County Master Gardeners, who will be wearing large blue nametags. Master Gardeners have a wealth of information about how to make a North Texas garden, having been trained extensively by Texas Agricultural Extension. If you have a problem in your landscape, you can ask and get an answer that’s both well informed and local.  Some of the master gardeners specialize in conventional methods; other focus on purely organic gardening technique.

How To See The Tour:

Saturday, June 13^th the gardens will be open between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.  Sunday, June 14^th The gardens are open between noon and 4:00 p.m.

Admission: $15 per person in advance of the tour; $20 per person on tour days.

Rain or Shine!

For information or to obtain tickets contact Historic Fort Worth at 817-336-2344 or visit  www.historicfortworth.org. Tickets will also be available at Archie’s Gardenland, 6700 Camp Bowie Boulevard, Dorian’s Designs, 2701 South Hulen, Into the Garden, 4600 Dexter Avenue, and Into the Garden,4527 McKinney Avenue, Dallas

Proceeds from the Hidden Gardens of Fort Worth Tour benefit preservation programs at Historic Fort Worth, Inc. including the ongoing maintenance and operations of Fort Worth’s two cattle baron mansions, the Ball-Eddleman-McFarland House and Thistle Hill.

From a press release by the City:

What: The Code Compliance Department’s Animal Care and Control Mobile Adoption Unit will appear tonight to kick off CatsCare, a partnership between the shelter and the Fort Worth Cats baseball team.

When: 6 p.m., Friday, June 5, 2009

Where: LaGrave Field, 301 N.E. 6th St., Fort Worth
About the program: The “CatsCare” program promotes responsible pet ownership. Its aim is to educate the public about the need for and benefits of proper pet licensing, vaccinations and spay/neuter programs, and the availability of adoptable pets at the city shelter. With the Fort Worth Cats’ support, the Animal Care and Control Mobile Adoption Unit will make regular appearances at LaGrave Field on game nights, and the Cats have agreed to support a number of special nights that will offer fans chances to adopt pets – including a Pet of the Week promotion at home games; to get their pets licensed or micro-chipped; to give fans a chance to have their pets spayed or neutered; and to offer donations for the shelter.

The sculpture is being installed in Byers Green on Camp Bowie.

FORT WORTH – If you’ve recently driven by Byers Green, the triangular green space at the intersection of Byers Avenue and Camp Bowie Boulevard, you’ve probably noticed the dirt is flying.

Earth Fountain, a public art project by artist Philippe Klinefelter, will consist of a nine-foot diameter granite orb, with a fountain of water flowing smoothly out of three openings in its hollowed center.

Carved out of a single, 30-ton block of Texas Sunset Red granite (the same granite used in the Tarrant County Courthouse), the fountain echoes the color of the Thurber brick used to pave Camp Bowie Boulevard. The sculpture will be installed into a specially designed concrete basin at the western end of the green space.

The sculpture’s design was inspired by how water comes from, shapes, and returns to the earth. The three openings in the sculpture are related to the angles of the three adjacent streets. The water flows out of the three openings over a carved, scaled representation of the local topography. Klinefelter carved the massive sculpture by hand in his Austin studio.

Fort Worth Public Art and Urban Green, a local nonprofit, teamed up for the project. Urban Green, an organization that works to improve public green spaces throughout the city, entered into an “Adopt A Park” agreement with the city for the Byers Green median. Urban Green is underwriting improvements to the site that include irrigation, electricity and pathways to the sculpture. Click for a plan of the Earth Fountain site.

The City of Fort Worth’s public art program commissioned Earth Fountain for Byers Green as part of its Long Range Public Art Plan for the 2004 CIP. The entire project is expected to be completed in June and the public will be invited to an unveiling celebration.

The Arts Council of Fort Worth & Tarrant County administers the city’s public art program. Fort Worth Public Art creates an enhanced visual environment for Fort Worth residents, commemorates the city’s rich cultural and ethnic diversity, integrates the design work of artists into the development of the city’s capital infrastructure improvements, and promotes tourism and economic vitality in the city through the artistic design of public spaces. To learn more, visit www.fwpublicart.org.

 Fort Worth is about halfway through their meetings discussing the large aggressive dog problem.  To see the original blog post, see “Fort Worth to Patrol for Pit Bulls? From a press release by the City:

What:

The fourth in a series of public meetings to gather input on concepts recently presented by the city’s Code Compliance staff that aim to be proactive in addressing the growing number of stray animals – particularly large, aggressive dogs – in the city.

When:

6 to 9 p.m. Thursday

Where:

Meadowbrook United Methodist Church, 3900 Meadowbrook Drive

Schedule of remaining meetings

• 6-9 p.m. Thursday, June 4 – Goodwill Industries, Community Garden Room, 4005 Campus Drive
• 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, June 6 – Fort Worth Botanic Garden, Dorothea Leonhardt Lecture Hall, 3220 Botanic Garden Blvd.

From a press release by the City:

FORT WORTH - Two local neighborhood associations earned honors in the 2009 Neighborhood of the Year Awards, presented last week at the 34th Neighborhoods USA (NUSA) Conference on Neighborhood Concerns in Spokane, Wash.

The North Beverly Hills Neighborhood Association placed first in the Social Revitalization/Neighborliness category. Members worked with their Neighborhood Policing District and Code Compliance officers to proactively address neighborhood safety after a sudden crime increase.

The Ryan Place Improvement Association placed third in the Social Revitalization/Neighborliness category. The association developed multiple fundraising events, including an annual holiday tour of homes to provide for the installation and maintenance of period street lights.

The Historic Fairmount Neighborhood Association was a finalist in the Multi-Neighborhood Partnerships category. Through collaborative efforts, the association presents an annual home tour showcasing the neighborhood’s historic and architectural heritage.

Through these awards, NUSA recognizes the outstanding work of neighborhood organizations. Created in 1975, NUSA encourages networking and information sharing as a way to facilitate partnerships between neighborhood organizations, government and the private sector. This year marked the 25th anniversary of the Neighborhood of the Year Awards.

From an announcement sent out by the city, we have news of this summer’s library programs, including the 20-minute per day summer reading challenge. 

Fort Worth – The public is invited to learn about keeping mind and body healthy during the kickoff for Mayor Mike’s Summer Reading Challenge, 11 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. May 21 in the Central Library, 500 W. Third St.
 
Children, teens and adults are invited to attend this free event. Honorary co-chairs for the event are Mayor Pro Tem Kathleen Hicks and Robert Earley, President and CEO of JPS Health Network.
 
Activities will emphasize health and wellness for the entire family. Planned activities include testing for diabetes, cholesterol and high blood pressure; an aerobics demonstration; children’s activities such as jump rope and hula-hoop contests; and a fruit walk (instead of the normal cake walk). Booth volunteers will be sharing information on eating healthy and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
The Summer Reading Challenge officially starts June 6 and runs through Aug. 1.
This year’s theme, “Deep in the Heart of Texas,” emphasizes our Texas roots, but also focuses on the heart as a vital organ. The Challenge is designed to keep the heart and mind healthy, to encourage reading for pleasure and to promote more visits to public libraries.

Registering for the program, reading 20 minutes a day and keeping a log of what has been read makes the reader eligible for different prizes available at any city library. Online registration begins May 21 on the Library’s Web site: www.fortworthlibrary.org or register at any Fort Worth Library.
 
In addition, all 15 libraries have planned special programs and activities June 6-Aug.1. Some events include live performances, teen gaming, adult legal information, tips about keeping yourself healthy, family story times, circus clown visits, book and chess clubs, and nature programs.

Kevin at 5ksandcabernets says that runners are nicer in Fort Worth than Austin, but they have better restaurants. Not really surprised, there …

The Amon Carter Blog has some interesting daguerreotypes from the Mexican-American war posted, and a new web portal will be matching donations to the museum if donations are made throught the site on May 20, 2009 … Food and Fort Worth clips from the Fort Worth Business Press on the Kimbell’s new Michelangelo painting, then goes to report on a customer satisfaction survey of fast food. Talk about high-low …Dave at DallasPhotoworks has been kicking around Santa Fe, photographing traditional Indian basket art.

Eva-Marie at Extra Credit Blog reports that Fort Worth High School principals support the current policy of not allowing high school seniors to walk for graduation if they have not passed the TAKS tests required.

Richie Escovedo has put a discourse online about social media tools vs. the social web, and what that all means for PR people.

Fort Worth Can Do seems to be suggesting that the earthquake felt over the weekend might be related to gas drilling. Fortworthology is apparently serious about being on hiatus, until, they say, May 22. It’s better than just disappearing, but not completely reassuring after the sign-off by West and Clear last week. 

Rob (follow him on twitter — @coffeetalkee) reviews the Kaloric Aqua 10-cup coffeemaker … and Log Cabin Village Blog features a podcast on how to make a bucket the old fashioned way. Julie at Silversmyth posts a story about Lampwork beads. Look for a three part series from her this week on organizing your jewelery box, and next week, a our first blog giveaway featuring one of her creations.