Oak Cliff

Posted on July 8, 2007 by Shawn Williams

Oak Cliff is easily the most scenic part of Dallas. And with all due respect to Cedar Hill, Oak Cliff truly is where the Hill Country begins. I just bought a bike and I can tell you that there are more than enough hills to challenge walkers and riders.

To that point, I knew the Kiest Park loop couldn’t be my only non-street riding option. Katy Trail gets all the pub but I was sure there had to be something else out there.

Enter Shadow Johns and DORBA – Dallas Off Road Bicycle Association. DORBA, which was founded in 1988, maintains 14 hike and bike trails throughout North Texas, including trails in Mc Kinney, Garland, Grapevine, and Cedar Hill.

Shadow Johns is the steward for two trails located in Oak Cliff: Boulder Park Trail (located at the corner of Hwy 67 and Red Bird Lane) and Oak Cliff Nature Preserve Trail.

Oak Cliff Nature Preserve (OCNP) is a 119 acre tract of woodland and prairie habitats near Kiest Park. The land is protected by the Natural Area Preservation Association (NAPA), and was donated to NAPA in 1999 as part of a development agreement. Boys Scout and equestrian groups utilize the land for their nature outings as well. Over the course of 6 or 7 years, NAPA and DORBA planned to blaze hiking and biking trails through the preserve, but nothing seemed to get done.

See a map the nearest cross streets (Pierce and Saner) here.

See a satellite image of the Preserve and Kiest Park here .

Last year Shadow, who was already the steward at Boulder Park, was asked to get involved. Within a matter of months he began working on this unique piece of property in heart of Oak Cliff.”

View Shadow’s OCNP Photobucket here.

Oak Cliff Nature Preserve now has 3 miles of trails which consists of three loops. The trails cross a creek that runs through the property six times, including two wet water crossings. Shadow and DORBA rely on volunteer labor to blaze new trails on their projects.

They refer to these volunteer outings as work days. Work days typically occur on Saturday mornings where volunteers are asked to meet at the site around 8 am and choose a task. A recent work day saw 18 volunteers who used rakes, shovels, limb cutters, and other equipment to blaze 0.7 miles in one morning. Work days typically end around 11 and the group shares in some food and beverage before riding the trail.

Anyone interested in riding or helping to develop the Oak Cliff Nature Preserve trail can contact Shadow Johns at (214)641-1452. To get there from Interstate 35E, take Illinois west, and just past S.Hampton make a left on Pierce. Go past the houses and black fence, turn left into the back of the apartment complex, and make a right at the gate (dirt drive). Look for the sign you see on the thumbnail.

Make sure to take a minute to visit the DORBA website. It gives maps & directions as well as riding conditions at all the sites they maintain. Happy Trails!

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TrinityVote and Angela Hunt get 80,000 signatures to force referendum vote

Posted on June 30, 2007 by Shawn Williams

TrinityVote has cleared the first hurdle in their efforts to force a vote on the tollroad portion of the Trinity River Project. The group turned in 80,000 signatures of registered Dallas voters who support a November referendum regarding the road project.

The Dallas City Secretary must now verify that at least 48,000 of the signatures are from valid Dallas voters. According to the TrinityVote website "We've already checked them, and we have more than enough."

Though current mayor Tom Leppert and former mayors Ron Kirk and Laura Miller are against the effort, TrinityVote has a number of strong allies (note to Mr. Leppert: line up opposite of Laura Miller whenever possible). Angela Hunt and company count former council members Don Hill, John Loza, and NAACP President Casey Thomas as supporters. Rickey Smiley also used his airwaves to bolster the number of signatures.

Those who were against Ms. Hunt and TrinityVote -which includes the Dallas Morning News – said it was time to move on and get the project underway. Even if it is not the project that voters passed back in 1998. You could almost hear a collective laugh from the Dallas establishment when TrinityVote had their initial press conference on March 11 within the Trinity Greenbelt.

See a slideshow of recent Trinity water levels from Unfair Park here.

To see the ordinance language for the referendum click here.

The ordinance seems to come down to no roads inside the levies with the following exceptions:

* roads constructed before the ordinance

* roads perpendicular to the floodplain

* roads of two travel lanes or less in each direction, used only for access and a speed limit of 35 MPH or less

* roads of less than two travel lanes, within 50 feet of the levees, used only for maintenance and closed to the public

After the 47,999 signatures, not including my valid one, are verified I'm sure we can expect some good ol' community forums. The kind of forums that were held 10 years ago selling voters on a low speed parkway as part of the Trinity Project. Both sides will have plenty of opportunities to make their case.

The "powers that be" must realize that it is a new day in Dallas. A day when text messages, e-mails, blog posts, and radio announcements can mobilize thousands of people in mere minutes. And a day when the voters will take matters into their own hands if necessary.

Picture by Dallas Morning News photographer Gerry J. McCarthy

DSB post sparks debate at Pegasus News site

Posted on May 15, 2007 by Shawn Williams

My post regarding the 15-year old that was shot by a DART officer has garnered a huge amount of comments at Pegasus News. You can view the reactions here . I still haven't read much by way of follow up to this sad story. Sad for the boy's family, sad for the officer who killed him.

15 year-old shot and killed by DART police officer; department’s first ever fatal shooting

Posted on May 7, 2007 by Shawn Williams

Another young black male has died at the hand of gunfire, this time by a Dallas Area Rapid Transit Police officer. 15 year-old Bobby Walker was fatally shot around 3:20 a.m. on Sunday morning at the Ledbetter Station near the VA Hospital.

According to Monday's Dallas Morning News article, the Carter High freshman "leapt from the bushes" and attacked DART officer Stephanie Branch before being shot by officer Niksha Owens. Walker was pronounced dead at Methodist Dallas Medical Center about 4 a.m.

I don't want to rush to any judgments here, so I have a few questions:

1. Did the 2nd officer try to physically intervene before resorting to fatal gunfire?

2. Did the shooting officer at any point feel as if she had a non-fatal shot at the suspect without endangering the officer?

3. What is a 15 year-old boy doing out at 3:20 a.m.?

4. Shouldn't two police officers generally be able to subdue one juvenile suspect?

5. What was the ethnicity of the two officers? It ALWAYS matters.

I will reserve commentary for a later date , but for now I pray for the families of Bobby Walker and the officer who fatally shot him.

13 File for Mayor in Dallas General Election

Posted on March 16, 2007 by Shawn Williams

There are thirteen candidates who have officially filed for the office of mayor in Dallas. Here are those who have filed and their names as they will appear on the ballot.

Dallas Mayor (Place 15)

John Cappello Sam Coats

Zac Crain Evelyn "Windy-Fitzgerald" Daniel

Jennifer Gale Gary Griffith

Roger Herrera Don Hill

Darrell Jordan Tom Leppert

Ed Oakley E. Edward Okpa

Max Wells

I have also updated the City Council races that have been covered here over the last few months. The names are as the will appear on the ballot.

District 3

Charletta Rogers Compton Irby Foster

Joseph Hernandez Kawana Lynn

Dave Neumann Angela G. Phillips

Joe Tave Rena Renfroe Victoria D. Walton

Linda F. Wise

District 4

Dwaine Caraway Gloria Stinson Hogg

Kimberly Jackson Eugene Thomas

District 5

Betty J. Culbreath Jesse Diaz

Vonciel Jones Hill Jurline Gates Hollins

Larry Holton Don Robinson

Camile D. White Yolonda Faye Williams

District 7

Carolyn Davis Kevin Felder

Helene McKinney Sharon Middlebrooks

Donald R. Parish Billy J. Ratcliff

LaShonda Dyanne Young

District 8

Tennell Atkins Sandra Crenshaw

Clara McDade Michael D. Rdgers, Sr.

Charles R. Rose T.G. Washington

Erik Wilson

Mayor Miller Fed Up With DART Board Members

Posted on October 20, 2006 by Shawn Williams

In Thursday's Dallas Morning News, Tony Hartzel, who is by far the best writer at the news, wrote a piece (City may ax DART reps) about Laura Miller's desire to shake up Dallas' appointees to the DART board of directors. The mayor threatened to replace the 8 board representatives with city council members if they did not start taking the city's interests into account.

I'm with the mayor on this one. DART rail is in its 10th year, and is now one of the model light rail systems in the country. Although rail transit is now the rage of North Texas, many of the cities building trains stations were laughing at Dallas' foray into rail a decade ago. Now that riding the rail is ‘in’, the focus is on Carrolton, Plano, and Rowlett, and not Oak Cliff, where the Red Line and Blue Line made names for themselves.

Dallas has a right to be upset. The city contributes 51.5% of the sales tax revenue that makes DART run. Thus the city is able to appoint 8 of the boards 15 members. At stake is the future of rail in the area, including a vote on the authority's 2030 plan. If Dallas' appointees are putting the wishes of the suburbs ahead of the needs of our city, then they need to be shown the door.

There are a number of important issues that will effect the south in particular. One will be the type of train used to service the inland port scheduled to be built in Southern Dallas. DART is recommending a diesel fueled train, while Dallas proposes electric, like the rest of the lines. The planned extension of the blue line south of I-20 is now set for 2018. The city would also like to see the Red line extended farther southwest of the Westmoreland Station.

Currently, construction of Dart's Southeast Corridor is underway, which will stretch 27.7 miles from Pleasant Grove to Carrollton. This new Green Line will add stops at Victory Park, Deep Ellum, Baylor Medical Center, and Fair Park. DART has plans for an Orange Line that will extend from Northwest Dallas to Las Colinas (2011), and eventually to DFW Airport (2013).

I know the timelines seem like a long way out, but I can remember riding the rail when it stopped at Park Lane (seems like only yesterday) Most of the folks now clamoring for rail service would not have been caught dead on a train back then.

I applaud Madame Miller and the council for taking a hard line approach towards DART and the board appointees. If my calculations are right, the city should deliver a station within walking distance of my house by 2020…just in time for my son's graduation.

Southwest Airlines Announces New Love Field Destinations

Posted on October 17, 2006 by Shawn Williams

Today in a News Release, Southwest Airlines announced changes that will be made as a result of the bill passed in Congress repealing the Wright Amendment. The bill was passed on September 29, 2006, and then written into law by President Bush. The Wright Amendment has restricted flights in and out of Dallas Love Field since 1979.

Southwest will serve an additional 25 destinations from Dallas Love Field with one-stop/same plane service as a result of the new legislation. After eight years, Southwest and other airlines will be able to provide non-stop flights to airports outside the formerly restricted areas. New destinations for Southwest include Baltimore/Washington, Chicago Midway, Denver, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando, Phoenix, and San Diego.

According to the news release, Southwest will offer a $99 one-way introductory fare between Dallas Love and their 25 new destinations. Apparently, Dallas travelers are now truly free to move about the country.

Little Change in Southern Dallas – Highway Edition

Posted on July 24, 2006 by Shawn Williams

As the terms of four Dallas City Council Members expire, and Mayor Laura Miller rides into the sunset, I think about the difference in Southern Dallas now verses 6 to 8 years ago. Most any candidate runs on a platform of change, when seeking to be elected to a city post. The candidates for the city council seats will promise more economic development for their districts, and the mayoral candidates will ALL promise a new commitment to the Southern Sector. I'm going to focus on the status of some of these promises, and contrast them with activity in other areas of town; beginning with local highways. In my W-2 job, I drive around Dallas all day everyday. I get to watch new building projects from start to finish, as I pass them during my drive about the city. It makes me wonder if the council members ever leave Dallas City Hall, or their own council districts to see that the disparity amongst the north and south are real, not just the tired cliché that it has become. As you travel the main highways of the south, Interstates 35 and 20, and Highway 67, the freeways have changed little themselves, with the exception of HOV lanes for 35 and 67. There aren't even sound walls to block traffic noise from I-35 or Hwy. 67, despite the fact that there are countless residences right along the freeway. Contrast that with the new North Central Expressway (Highway 75), an architectural and aesthetic masterpiece, and the expansive High Five project at the 635/75 interchange, which is one of the most expensive road projects ever for the State of Texas. It is difficult to remember what these roads even looked like before their massive overhauls Some may point to the nearly completed improvements to Interstate 30 West of Downtown, and the Frontage Roads being added to Interstate 20 as signs of progress. I'll blog on the 20 frontage roads in future posts, but the Interstate 30 upgrade has been substantial. It's sometimes hard for me to view this portion of the city as southern Dallas, but since you have to cross the Trinity to get there, and it’s inhabited mostly Blacks and Hispanics, it qualifies by most accepted standards. I'll be the first to admit, the new I-30 boasts wide lanes, improved lighting, and highly visible signage. When driving down this stretch of Tom Landry Freeway between downtown and Loop 12, you can tell that they did more than just fill potholes. The budding retail/office center at Pinnacle Park (Cockrell Hill Exit) will benefit from these changes, and other retailers are on the way. Loop 12 has seen it's share of dirt, concrete and tractors over the last year or so, but I can hardly tell what the results will be. I know there will be HOV lanes north and south, but I'm not sure how many morning and evening commutes will reap the benefits. Anything will help, as this is one of the most notorious bottleneck sections in town, just listen to any morning traffic report: "And we have a back up this morning on Loop 12 Walton Walker from Jefferson all the way back to Spur 408." Though it may not be top of mind in discussions of economic development and neighborhood improvements, the local highway system is vital to the lifeblood of the city. Investments in highways signify progress or expected progress. The next big projects will be I-30, the canyon, between 45 and 35, and the mess on Stemmons (35) headed south in to Oak Cliff at 30. For now, I-35 and Hwy 67 will have to be happy with their HOV lanes