The Mistletoe Express If you missed the August meeting, the developers working east of Jerome Street gave a presentation on their development plans and the status of the project. The meeting was well attended and included many residents from east of Jerome and City Councilwoman Wendy Davis. (See the minutes of the meeting in this issue.) Jim Bradbury Letter from the president A Publication of Historic Mistletoe Heights www.mistletoeheights.com September 2006 (Continued on page 3) (Continued on page 2) WANTED Advertising Manager for Mistletoe Express short hours- friendly advertisers potential neighborhood-hero status Apply to Sevan Melikyan 817.921.2120 [email protected]As promised at the last neighborhood association meeting, here’s a list of contributing properties in our neighborhood’s Frisco Addition. As you probably know, a group of developers have expressed interest in a 36-lot area in this subdivision of our neighborhood. At the request of several neighbors, our historic preservation committee, along with other neighbors and Julie Lawless, Fort Worth’s Historic Preservation Officer, surveyed the blocks in this area of interest to determine which properties are contributing. We made multiple visits, took photos, and agreed on the By Heather White CONTRIBUTING PROPERTIES IN MISTLETOE’S OWN FRISCO ADDITION The developers gave an explanation of their plans to seek a rezoning of the area as a “planned development.” In addition to answering questions, the developers presented architectural sketches of some home styles planned for the development. That entire portion of the neighborhood is in the historic overlay and the development will have to comply with the existing guidelines. Stay tuned for more information. Our partnership with Berkeley Place has expanded. Recently, the officers of Berkeley Place, Ryan Place, Fairmount, Mistletoe Heights and Park Hill met to discuss issues facing all of the neighborhoods, including development, following list of 16 structures, including 14 houses: Apartment building on West Magnolia 2125 West Magnolia 2127 Mistletoe Avenue 2122 Mistletoe Avenue 2100 Harrison 2103 West Morphy (Continued on page 3)
Transcript
The
Mistletoe Express
If you missed the August meeting, thedevelopers working east of Jerome Streetgave a presentation on their developmentplans and the status of the project. Themeeting was well attended and includedmany residents from east of Jerome and CityCouncilwoman Wendy Davis. (See theminutes of the meeting in this issue.)
Jim Bradbury
Letter from the president
A Publication of Historic Mistletoe Heights www.mistletoeheights.com September 2006
(Continued on page 3)
(Continued on page 2)
WANTEDAdvertising Manager for
Mistletoe Expressshort hours-friendly advertisers
potential neighborhood-hero statusApply to Sevan Melikyan 817.921.2120
As promised at the lastneighborhood association meeting,here’s a list of contributing properties inour neighborhood’s Frisco Addition. Asyou probably know, a group ofdevelopers have expressed interest in a36-lot area in this subdivision of ourneighborhood. At the request of several
neighbors, our historic preservationcommittee, along with other neighborsand Julie Lawless, Fort Worth’sHistoric Preservation Officer, surveyedthe blocks in this area of interest todetermine which properties arecontributing. We made multiple visits,took photos, and agreed on the
By Heather White
CONTRIBUTING PROPERTIES IN MISTLETOE’S
OWN FRISCO ADDITION
The developers gave an explanation of their plans to seek a rezoningof the area as a “planned development.” In addition to answeringquestions, the developers presented architectural sketches of some homestyles planned for the development. That entire portion of theneighborhood is in the historic overlay and the development will have tocomply with the existing guidelines. Stay tuned for more information.
Our partnership with Berkeley Place has expanded. Recently, theofficers of BerkeleyPlace, Ryan Place,Fairmount, MistletoeHeights and Park Hillmet to discuss issuesfacing all of theneighborhoods,including development,
following list of 16 structures, including14 houses:
Apartment building on WestMagnolia
2125 West Magnolia
2127 Mistletoe Avenue2122 Mistletoe Avenue
2100 Harrison 2103 West Morphy (Continued on page 3)
As we live with high gasoline prices andconstant ozone alert days, this seems a good timeto mention a few items about public transportation.
If you’re planning a trip to Dallas, you canride the Trinity RailwayExpress (TRE) from FortWorth’s T&P Station to Dallas’Union Station. From there, youcan connect on several DARTrail lines and buses. All of thiscan be done for $4.50 a day (or $70 per month).
The advantages are that you don’t have to worry about parking or traffic,you can read or do something else while you commute, it costs a lot less thandriving and the trains are fairly comfortable.
The major downside is that, if you don’t know the schedules, you can getstuck waiting at a station. Also, if the traffic is running smoothly, it’s faster todrive. But you never know how bad the traffic will be until you start yourtrip. You can get more information at http://www.trinityrailwayexpress.org/tre-ridebuy.html
For those who are interested, theClean Air Bike Rally will begin on Oct.28 at 8 a.m. (rain or shine). The rallybegins and ends at the Shelter House on
West Seventh Street inTrinity Park. Onlineregistration ends Sept. 22. Information can be foundat www.fortworthgov.org/dem/2006_bikerally.htm
If you have any questions or
concerns, contact me at 817-377-0060(work), 817-927-8944 (home) or [email protected]
City liaison report
Mike Windsor
(President’s Letter - continued from page 1)
historic issues, traffic and others. Although this group willmeet infrequently, we believe that the combined groupcan speak with a very effective voice when dealing withthe city of Fort Worth as well as developers and otherthird parties.
The work of the Traffic Committee is movingforward. After a great deal of work by the TrafficCommittee, progress was stalled by city bureaucracy. After a little pressure was applied, including some directwords from Wendy Davis, progress has been restored.You should be seeing the results, including trafficcounters and new stop signs.
The neighborhood is in need of an updateddirectory. A volunteer is needed to collect the informationand deliver the directory to the printer. If you’reinterested, please e-mail me or the Mistletoe Web site.
Think snow.
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REALLY NEEDED!Advertising Manager for
Mistletoe Express
short hours-friendly advertiserspotential neighborhood-hero status
2100 Harrison2120 Harrison2126 Harrison2131 Harrison
2100 West Morphy2103 West Morphy2109 West Morphy2110 West Morphy (including original garage)2111 West Morphy2113 West Morphy
A contributing property is one thatcontributes to the historic district,historically, architecturally, or both.What we looked for is a structure thatwas built either prior to theneighborhood or during theneighborhood’s original constructionperiod (before 1930 or so), or of anarchitectural style that blends with andcontributes to the character of theneighborhood. Contributing propertiesset the example for new construction.Style, scale, height, spacing, setback,and more come into play. Unlike non-contributing properties, contributingproperties are protected fromdemolition by the City’s preservationordinance, under which our historicdistrict exists.
Not every house dating to theoriginal construction period necessarilyqualifies as contributing. To becontributing, a structure needs tosubstantially maintain its originalfeatures and architectural integrity.
The group above includes severaldarling houses, such as a folk Victoriandating to about 1900 that wasprobably a farm house. It also includesthe only L-shaped house in ourneighborhood that I’m aware of,dating to 1912 according to TAD.
I’ve mentioned before my strongbelief in the importance of protectingevery contributing property in ourdistrict. Protecting one contributingproperty protects every contributingproperty. Failing to protect anycontributing propertyendangers every othercontributing property. Aschair of your preservationcommittee and owner ofan individually-designatedframe house, I want youto know that I take acontributing property onany block of any street inour district just asseriously as I take acontributing property on,say, Mistletoe Drive.
If you’d like to know whetheryour property is contributing or not,please feel free to contact me (contactinformation on the back of thisnewsletter).
I also wanted to note that it’s beenbrought to my attention thatneighborhood sign toppers and onestreet sign are missing from theseblocks. Mike Windsor, our city liaison,has requested that the street sign bereplaced. I’m planning to order thesign toppers we need; please let meknow if any others in theneighborhood are missing so we canplace a single order for everything weneed.
(Contributing - continued from page 1)
2125 West Magnolia
2110 West Morphy3
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ENGRAVED BRICK APPLICATION:Please print your message(s) below to include up to 3 lines of text with a maximum of 13 spaces per
line per brick (spacing and punctuation included)
Make checks payable to: Friends of Newby Park. Mail checks to 2218 W. Rosedale St. South, Fort Worth, TX 76110.
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
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Because of increases in the cost of material, the total out-of-pocket cost of the pavilion exceeded thebudget. As a result, some planned amenities, such as picnic tables, benches, and more landscaping, were notpurchased.
You can help us finish the job by continuing to purchase engraved bricks. Not only do the bricks convey atimeless personal message, but each purchase goes to improve Newby Park. Buy an engraved brick today! (Seeform below.)
BBBBBGardening with Patsy Slocum
Because the drought and extremely hot weathermake gardening almost impossible, this will be aboutwhat plants could be potentially hazardous to ourhealth — assuming that wehave enough moisture tomake anything grow at all.
Some plants can bepoisonous to humans andothers to pets or livestock. Most animals instinc-tively avoid noxious plants, and pets and our childrenseldom consume quantities sufficient to doharm. Our taste buds may have something to do withit.
Some plants that should not be ingested includeour Texas bluebonnet, boxwood, Carolina jessamine,
daffodils, English ivy, foxglove, clematis, fouro’’clock, ferns, lantana and yucca.
One should also be wary of using fertilizers,pesticides, and otherchemicals around ourwee ones.
Some houseplantsand cut flowers should
also be kept out of reach of children and pets.They include amaryllis, baby’s breath, kalanchoe,philodendron, potos ivy and poinsettia.
Our vegetable gardens and kitchen can beharmful to pets. They should be protected fromsuch things as avocado, apricot and plum pits,mushrooms, onions, pokeweed and potato andtomato plants.
The family physician, veterinarian or emer-gency clinic should be contacted immediately if apoisonous plant is ingested. The National PoisonControl hotline is 800-222-1222 for humans. Fora consultation fee, the Animal PoisonControl Center can be contacted at 888-426-4435for emergencies.
Harmful Plants
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President Jim Bradbury opened the meeting at 7:30 p.m.in the Fort Worth Zoo Education Building.
Neighborhood Police Officer Kirk Byrom gave a shortreport for NPO Leah Wagner and for himself about crime,theft and burglaries in the neighborhood. Generally, thingshave been quiet, but he urged, as always, that residents keeptheir cars and property clear of stealable items and locked.
Jim Bradbury read the treasurer’s report for LeslieHouston, who was unable to attend. The association has$12,054 in the bank and can proceed with some previouslydiscussed projects, especially repair of the sprinkler system.
An advertising manager for the newsletter is still needed.It would require only about two hours’ work a month. Themain job is calling “non-repeat” newsletter advertisers eachmonth. Contact Jim Bradbury or Sevan Melikyan if you’reinterested, or know someone who is.
The Traffic Committee report stated that a computermodel used by the city indicated that stop signs are notwarranted in proposed spots in Mistletoe Heights becausetraffic isn’t heavy enough. The association has sent a letter tothe city appealing the change.
Heather White reported that the Historic PreservationCommittee has asked the neighborhood association’s cityliaison, Mike Windsor, to request replacements for missingstreet signs and sign toppers. The committee is also workingon zoning change upgrades. Ask Heather White for moreinformation.
A development company, Westridge Street Partners II(Clay Brants, Jesse Miles and Mike Barnes) gave its secondpresentation of its plans and progress for a redevelopment ofthe Frisco subdivision portion of the Mistletoe HeightsHistoric District.
The redevelopment plan involves the 2100 blocks ofWest Magnolia Avenue, Harrison Avenue and MorphyStreet, between Jerome Street and the railroad track. Theplan includes purchasing at least 36 lots, changing the existingvaried zoning designations to PD single family and building inaccordance with a variety of housing designs, both single anddouble story, which would be consistent with theneighborhood’s architecture.
The original lot sizes would stay the same and a street,which was originally platted but never built, would be
constructed on the far eastside of the neighborhood toprovide traffic circulation.
The minimum lot sizewould be 4,500 squarefeet. The houses would befrom 2,200 to 2,800square feet (for a single-story house). The footprintof each house could beonly 60 percent of the lotsize. The houses would be85 percent masonry, stuccoor painted brick with brickchimneys.
Each house would havea 10-foot front setbackand access to a paved alley
Minutes of the August 15 meeting of theMistletoe Heights Association
By Mary Ellen Peipert - MHA Secretary
(Continued on the next page)
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with rear-entry garages. House prices wouldbegin in the $200,000-to-$225,000 range.
Many residents of the affected part of theneighborhood, whose families have lived there formany years, were present and voiced theirconcerns. The concerns ranged from fears thatthey may have to move out of their houses, torising property taxes, to not being offered enoughmoney if they sold their houses to the developersand the possibility of flooding.
John Key said that the flooding issue waspartly rectified when the new firehouse onRosedale Street was built. Melanie Worth, who
(Continued from previous page) works for the developers, sought to allay residents’ fears bycontinuing a dialogue to ensure that everyone’s are met.
The developers provided a handout that included a projectoverview and architectural sketches of proposed house styles. Askany association officer if you would like to see the handout.
As the summer sun left many ofour yards scorched and wilting, theyard at 2341 West Magnolia Ave.was a wonderful demonstration ofhow the use of hardy native Texasperennials can provide lovely flowerbeds full of colorful blooms allsummer long.
After much hands-on laborand painstaking digging to reclaim
Pho
to: L
orri
Ken
dric
k
By Lorri Kendrick
Yard of the Month: 2341 W. Magnolia Ave.
naturally curving flower beds outof the front lawn, Susan and BrentPressley selected a variety offlowering perennials that reallystood up to our August heat.
Variety is the key in thepresentation of these beds, as anexplosion of different blooms andtextures all work together throughuse of complementary color
schemes. Purplesand yellowsdominate, withconeflowers,Esperanza andblack-eyedSusans showingoff nicely in front
of a backdrop of shade-loving castiron plants tucked into thesheltering wall of the front porch.
The homeowners put thefinishing touches on the yard witheffective use of hanging ferns,decorative wrought-iron piecestucked into the beds and pottedplants at the corners of the porch,along the porch walls and flankingthe steps.
Our thanks to the Pressleys forthis bright spot of neighborhoodcolor, and for showing us that it’spossible to choose plantings thatcan stand up to the worst of thesummer heat.
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Early Childhood Music:Mistletoe Musikgarten offersclasses in SW Fort Worth forchildren from birth to age 7. With 9 years of experience,certifications in earlychildhood music, and a UNTmusic degree, I love sharingthe joy of music. Call or e-mailfor info about upcomingclasses (year round). CarolSpencer at 817.927.3240 [email protected].
Babysitter: Paschal studentwith CPR training available tobabysit evenings and weekends.Call Jenny at 817-727-3285.
Dreaming of a lush andTexas-tough landscape?Wanting to relax and unwindenjoying the flight ofbutterflies and hummingbirds?Seeking the aromatherapy of anight-blooming garden?Contact Alexia Strout-Dapazat either (817) 921-4820 or [email protected]
Estate Appraisals andLiquidation ServiceCertified appraiser with theInternational Society ofAppraisers, in business inMistletoe Heights for over 10years. Terri Ellis, MistletoeEstate Sales, 926-9424.
Arbonne~Swiss formulatedproducts pure, safe andbeneficial for everyone. All ofArbonne’s products aredermatologist tested,botanically-based, pH correct,hypoallergenic and formulated
N e i g h b o r h o o d C l a s s i f i e d s
without animal bi-products,mineral oil, dye orfragrances. 45 day $ backguarantee. For informationcall Joan at 817.920.1440 [email protected].
Mary Kay CosmeticsPaula Cady Russell at 2201Mistletoe Blvd. is a MaryKay consultant. Call her at921-6377 for a freemakeover, gift service or ifyou’ve “lost” yourconsultant.
No Time for Your Yard?Give me a call! I’m yourMistletoe Heights neighborand I can offer you competi-tive pricing and plenty ofreferences. Call Daniel Ticeat 817-797-0307.
How to Get the MostOut of Your Estate Sale.We are Vintage Sales,recognized in North Texasas being trusted, versatileand knowledgeable. Ourexperienced staff willhandle every detail and helpyou get the most out of yourestate sale. Phone AnneBourland at 924-5959 for aconsultation or email her [email protected] toreceive notices of upcomingevents.
Reading Tutor CertifiedTeacher, reading specialty,available to help your childimprove numerous readingskills. Very reasonable ratesand personalized attention.Call Teri Brewer 817-924-6145.
Bruce C. Border, CFP2453 Forest Park Blvd.Fort Worth, Texas 76110817-926-8056
Ads are free for Mistletoe Heights residents and may be submitted tothe editor. The deadline is the 20th of each month. Ads must berenewed monthly except for service classifieds (i.e.: babysitting, mowing,etc.), which are renewed yearly. If you would like to renew, discontinueor update your ad, please notify the editor at 817-921-2120 [email protected].
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Helpful Phone Numbers, Emails Addresses and Websites
Street Reps (listed by blocks) Publishing InformationMHA Officers
PresidentJim Bradbury 924-9869Vice-PresidentTom Richey 923-7352SecretaryThe Peiperts 926-4117TreasurerLeslie Houston 923-3161Newsletter EditorSevan Melikyan 921-2120Historic Preservation CommitteeHeather White 266-8299Street Rep CaptainsPat Hale (East) 924-5263Gaye Reed (West) 921-0009Welcome BasketsJoy Teague 923-2330Advertising ManagerNancy Brown 923-7146Newby ParkPatsy Slocum 923-5510City LiaisonMike Windsor 377-0060HistorianWyatt Teague 923-2330Yard of the MonthPatsy Slocum 923-5510
MHA YEARLY DUESDues are $5, $10, $25 or more.Your dues help to defer the costof this newsletter, the MistletoeHeights phone directory andmany other neighborhoodfunctions. Dues are accepted byLeslie Houston (call for address -923-3161).
2200 W. Rosedale SouthCarrie Johnson 926-97762300 W. Rosedale SouthKimberly Helixon 927-46412200 IrwinGary Willis 924-40002300 IrwinSue Duvall 926-87142100/2200 Mistletoe Blvd.Gil DeHoyos 926-64092300/2400 Mistletoe Blvd.Lisa Stewart 924-96662100/2200 West MagnoliaSherry Choate 923-73352300 West MagnoliaSusan Pressley 923-60612100 HarrisonElizabeth Sims 926-35482200 Harrison & JeromeEdward Alvarez2300/2400 HarrisonFaye Dowdle 926-75712100 Mistletoe Ave.Neataw Engels 927-24682200 Mistletoe Ave.Richard/Christi Yantis 924-28572300 Mistletoe Ave.Sam & Jack Bradbury 926-9095
Neighborhood Police OfficerEast of Forest ParkOfficer Leah T. WagnerOffice 871-8885Mobile 991-8473Pager 998-0673Email:[email protected]
Articles and letters to the editorare welcomed. To be publishedas written, letters must beaddressed to the editor, signedand include a phone number.Anonymous letters will not bepublished. Articles may besubmitted for publication,signed or unsigned, subject toapproval and editing by theeditor. Letters to the editor arelimited to a half page(approximately 350 words).P l e a s e s u b m i t t [email protected] or 1114Buck Avenue. The deadline isthe 20th of each month.
ADVERTISING INFORMATION
To place an advertisement or foractual mechanical sizes, pleasecall Nancy Brown at 923-7146.Ad rates are:
Business card size $18, 1/4 page$36, 1/3 page $54, half page $61,full page $120, and pre-printed8-1/2 x 11 insert fliers $60.
