Happy New Year, Oakhurst!

Happy New Year, Oakhurst Neighbors!!!

Be sure to check out this month's issue of The Oak Leaflet online!  Inside are details on the winners of the Oakhurst Holiday Decorating Contest (Lara and Allen Coskrey and Anguiano and Emma Steele), Chanin's President's Message, a feature on Manuel and Juanita Griffey by Simianne Hayden, pictures from Santa in the Park, our COPs report, upcoming events, and more!

As always, you may visit our newsletter archive to view or download past issues.

12/10: ONA General Membership Meeting

From ONA President Chanin Scanlon:

The December ONA General Membership Meeting will take place on 12/10 at the Union at River East Apartments, 2900 Race St, Fort Worth, TX 76111 at 6:30 pm.

The meeting will be light: bring your favorite dish, as we will be having a potluck and raffling off several fun items: one or two rounds of golf, a bottle of Blanton's Whiskey, round trip ticket on Amtrak to Austin (restrictions apply), and more goodies.

Click on the image below to view the meeting agenda:

Happy December, Oakhurst!

December Oak Leaflet

This month's issue of The Oak Leaflet is now online!  Click on the image below and/or scroll down to the Upcoming Events below to view details on all of the activities and events slated for December.

As always, you may visit our newsletter archive to view or download past issues.

Upcoming Events

12/7: Santa in the Park (10:00-11:30 am)
12/10: ONA General Membership Meeting (6:30-8:00 pm)
12/16: ONA Holiday Decorating Contest - Judging Begins

See your December Oak Leaflet and our event calendar for more details!

11/14: ONA Executive Board Meeting

Mark your calendars for our November meeting of the ONA Executive Board, 11/14 at 6:30 pm.  Click on the image below to view the agenda details:

November Oak Leaflet - Now Online!

This month's issue of The Oak Leaflet is now online.  Read about the recent ONA "Oaktoberfest" and First Responders' Appreciation Dinner events, Chanin's President's Message and committee reports, see some Oakhurst wildlife photos, and read about upcoming events.

As always, you may visit our newsletter archive to view or download past issues.

Oakhurst Cookbook Recipe Submission Form

Calling all great Oakhurst cooks (and we know there are many!)...please submit your recipes via this form (or click on the image below), and we will include them in the first edition of the Annual Oakhurst Cookbook.

We plan to have a book (3-ring binder) by Valentine's Day 2020, with annual updates to follow.  Thank you in advance for sharing!

Halloweenie Roast and Election Results

SAVE THE DATE: Halloweenie Roast!

ONA's Halloweenie Roast in the Park will be held on October 26th from 3-5 pm.  There will be a costume contest for kids and pets, games and crafts and hot dogs.  Donations of individually wrapped candy as well as volunteers are needed, so please call Glenda or drop off a donation at 1924 Bluebird Avenue!

ELECTION RESULTS

On October 8th, ONA members voted for committee chairs who were selected by the Nominating Committee.  With no other nominations from the floor, committee chairs were elected to serve on the executive board.  They are as follows:

• Tamara Dickinson – Newsletter Chair
• Jan Buck - TPW/Zoning Committee Chair
• Glenda Hartsell-Shelton – Events Committee Chair
• Fran Burns – Beautification Committee Chair
• B.C. Cornish - Street Representative Committee Chair
• Francis Cain - Budget and Finance Committee Chair

10/8: ONA General Membership Meeting

From ONA President Chanin Scanlon:

The ONA General Membership Meeting will be held October 8th at the Mount Olivet Chapel at 2301 N. Sylvania Avenue at 6:00 pm. We will be electing board members and instead of a pot luck we will be heading over to The View Apartments for provided snacks and a tour of the property.

Click on the image below to view the meeting agenda:

October Oak Leaflet - Online Now!

This month's issue of The Oak Leaflet is now online.  This month's edition highlights the MANY upcoming October activities and events, and it includes a feature on Sikhay Thai Lao Cuisine.

As always, you may visit our newsletter archive to view or download past issues.

Reminder: Local Events TONIGHT (9/18)!

ONA Speaker Series:  How to Navigate Nextdoor

We will be meeting on Wednesday, September 18th, 6:30-8:00 pm, at the Riverside Community Center, where Jonathan Marut will be educating us all on the ins-and-outs of using Nextdoor. Want to know how to post something you would like to sell; want to learn how to mute some posts that you would rather not get in your feed; want to learn how to update your profile?  He can tell us how to do all of that and more.  See you there!

Wednesday, September 18
6:30-8:00 pm
Riverside Community Center
3700 E Belknap Street


Fort Worth Public Art:  Bonnie Brae Esplanade

Please join Council Member Cary Moon as Peter Busby presents his conceptual artwork proposal for the Bonnie Brae Esplanade.  The esplanade begins at E. Belknap Street and terminates at the circle drive off Yucca Avenue, directly in front of Amon Carter-Riverside High School, built in 1936.

Situated on separate sections of the esplanade, Busby’s proposed artwork features three large sculptures made of woven steel rods.  This meeting is your opportunity to learn more about the project and give feedback to the artist that will be used in creating his preliminary design.

Wednesday, September 18
6:00 pm
Faith United Methodist Church
3419 E Belknap Street

9/14: TPW Community Meeting

A message from Tabitha Butler, Community Engagement Liaison for the City of Fort Worth's department of Communications & Public Engagement:

The city’s Transportation & Public Works department is hosting a community meeting to discuss plans for future infrastructure project planning in District 9.

Click here or on the image above to view the flyer!

Meeting Details:
Saturday, Sept. 14 at 11 a.m.
Victory Forest Community Center
3427 Hemphill St.

Questions? Contact Lauren.Prieur@fortworthtexas.gov.

Prost! Save the Date for "Oaktoberfest"!

Prost! Oakhurst neighbors. Time to celebrate Oaktoberfest, our version of Oktoberfest.

Come enjoy sausage, pretzels and refreshing beverages and games in our Biergarten located in the West Lotus common area.

Participate in Stein Hoisting, Keg Rolling, Stein Race and more.  These games will be individual and team events, so bring your friends and wear your Lederhosen (or not). You're sure to have a good time!

Donation of $5.00 for ONA members requested; $7.00 for non-members.

ONA Oaktoberfest
West Lotus Common Area
September 21
4:30-7:00 pm

If you would like to volunteer, email glendahartsell@att.net

Save the Date: National Night Out

Oakhurst COPs will be sponsoring National Night Out on Tuesday, October 1st. The event will be held in Oakhurst Park from 6:30-8:00 pm.  Click on the image below to learn more!

This year, Gypsy Scoops will be serving ice cream. Come enjoy a frosty treat and meet your neighbors!

New ONA Bylaws Approved

A message from ONA President Chanin Scanlon:

Good day, Oakhurst –

On August 27, 2019, a special general membership meeting was held to vote on the proposed changes to the ONA bylaws.  The proposals passed, and we will now begin a transition into our new bylaws.  40 ballots were cast.  The bylaws were voted on in sections, and of those sections the lowest “yes” vote was 35 and the highest “no” vote was 5.

One of the major changes was the make-up of the executive board.  Street representatives will continue with their current duties but will no longer need to attend executive board meetings.  Instead, a chairperson of the Street Representatives Committee will be elected to represent all the street representatives and serve on the executive board in that capacity.  Street representatives will continue all their other normal duties and will meet as a committee and support causes and issues that affect their street.  Those issues will be brought to the executive board by their chairperson.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the street representatives who have served as executive board members and thank you in advance for your continued commitment to your street.

In light of our new executive board configuration, we are forming a nominating committee and will be holding mid-term elections to fill not only our street representative chairperson position, but all the standing committee chairs who will also serve as executive board members.  It is our hope that our long-standing and highly-admired committee chairs will continue to serve as they always have, but we do have a couple of additional seats to fill and we would like our community to vote on the folks filling those chairs.

If anyone is interested in being on the nominating committee, please contact Burney Dickinson at burneydickinson@gmail.com or 817.713.1282, as he has been tasked with forming the committee.

Stay tuned for upcoming elections as we transition to our updated bylaws, and thank you for coming out to vote, Oakhurst.

The September Oak Leaflet is Here!

This month's issue of The Oak Leaflet is now online.  This month's edition features an article on longtime Oakhurst resident Jim Norwood by Burney Dickinson, September's Yard of the Month, Chanin's president's message, our monthly COPS report, and an update on the upcoming project work at Amon Carter-Riverside High School.  Be sure to check out upcoming activities and events, and don't miss the "Mini Corn Dog Muffins" recipe!

As always, you may visit our newsletter archive to view or download past issues.

Save the Date: ONA Bylaws Vote

A message from ONA President Chanin Scanlon:

All - please join us Tuesday, August 27th, at 6:30 pm, Springdale Baptist Church, 3016 Selma St, for a vote on the proposed changes to the ONA bylaws.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

August Oak Leaflet Now Online

August Oak Leaflet

This month's issue of The Oak Leaflet is now online!  Click on the image below and/or scroll down to the Upcoming Events below to view details on all of the activities and events slated for the month of August.

As always, you may visit our newsletter archive to view or download past issues.

Upcoming Events

8/3, 1:00 pm:  Rockin' the River in Fort Worth, Panther Island Pavilion
8/16-17:  Texas Home & Garden Show, Will Rogers Memorial Center
8/19:  First day of school, FWISD
8/31-9/1:  CRC Labor Day Weekend 5K & 10K, Martin House Brewing Co.
Through 9/15:  Monet: The Late Years, Kimbell Art Museum

See your August Oak Leaflet and our event calendar for more details!

Amon Carter-Riverside High School Construction Update

Rick Herring asked ONA to share the following information about the pending construction at Amon Carter-Riverside High School:

For months I have been begging and negotiating with FWISD to conduct a community meeting regarding the pending construction at Carter Riverside High. This project will begin soon and result in demolition of some outbuildings in the rear of the main building, construction of 1000s of feet of new classroom and athletic space, restoration of original full windows on the façade of the main building, additional parking, and, at the end of the two year project, hallelujah, removal of the portables that are a blight on the campus and community. All of this will occur with the loss of only about 3 trees, which is a goal we have striven for.

FWISD has finally committed to a date for this meeting and it will be:

Wednesday, August 14th, 6 pm

Faith United Methodist Church

Belknap and Bonnie Brae

This is a big deal for the community and will be a great opportunity to see and hear about these wonderful plans, and ask questions.

Click here or on the image below for more info!

7/30: Oakhurst Community Discussion on Homelessness

A message from ONA President Chanin Scanlon:

Oakhurstians:

I have scheduled Tara Perez, manager of Directions Home, to come and speak to our community about the issue of homelessness in Fort Worth and our neighborhood.

We will meet in the Calvary Christian Academy Library at 6:30 p.m. on July 30th. I could not get her any sooner, she is a busy lady, my apologies.

Come and ask her your questions about the influx of homelessness that has seemed to spiked in and around our neighborhood recently and listen to her tell you about her department and how they are tackling this issue that effects many Fort Worth neighborhoods.

I have included a link to the City's "Directions Home" website that also offers a bit more information on this topic. See http://fortworthtexas.gov/directionshome/.

Stay cool, Oakhurst!

Oakhurst Community Discussion on Homelessness
featuring Tara Perez, CFW Directions Home
Calvary Christian Academy Library
July 30, 6:30 pm

Happy Independence Day, Oakhurst!

ONA wishes all of our neighbors and families a fun, safe July 4th!

ONA Bylaws - July Update

An update from ONA President Chanin Scanlon:

Summary of Proposed Bylaws Changes

Oakhurst Neighborhood Association

At the June executive board meeting the board voted to move forward with a general membership vote on the proposed changes to the bylaws as presented by the Bylaws Committee. A special general membership meeting will be called to vote on the proposed changes no sooner than 30 days after notice is given to members via a summary in The Oak Leaflet newsletter; posting the proposed changes on ONA’s website; posting in the Oakhurst Neighborhood Association group on Nextdoor; and sent out via e-mail. Additionally, paper copies of the proposed revisions will be hand delivered to members who request a copy. Please either email president@oakhurstfw.org or call 817-757-9977 if you require a paper copy. A digital copy of the proposed bylaws can be found in the sidebar of this website.

The major recommendations include:

• A general cleanup of gender based language, typographical errors, irregular formatting, and breaking up certain paragraphs so they are more comprehensible but not changing the intent.

• Changing to individual rather than household membership. This change is recommended for membership tracking and voting purposes. It is difficult for the treasurer or secretary to know who members are when entire households are members and for voting purposes it will be clear who may and may not vote at ONA elections. It is recommended that the executive board and membership vote on single membership dues should this recommendation pass but the bylaws committee recommends a drop in dues per single members.

• Should ONA be dissolved, the committee is recommending that a change be made that any remaining funds after dissolution of the organization be spent on Oakhurst common areas and park rather than returned as a refund to remaining members as it currently stands. This recommendation is being made as it was seen as a more equitable to all residents of Oakhurst if the common areas and park were to receive the benefit of remaining funds. How those funds will be spent will remain the charge of the dissolving board.

• General membership meetings would be held six times yearly rather than twice per year in April and October. Officially scheduled meetings would be held in February, April, June, August, October and December. This proposed change is recommended as a compromise between members who wish to meet every month and other members who would like to meet less.  Executive board meetings are currently scheduled to meet quarterly, the proposal would require the executive board to also meet six times per year before general membership meetings.

• Notice and agenda of both the executive board meetings and general membership meetings was added to include a post in Oakhurst Park at least seven days prior to the meeting. Without this notice, voting may not take place at those meetings. A posting board will be erected in the park to comply with this recommendation. Further, notice of meetings may be posted on Nextdoor and/or e-mail in addition to the posting in the park but are not required. The purpose of this recommendation is to have a consistent and open method for the announcement of meetings and public agendas.

• Committees – committees and their duties were further defined in these proposed changes. Specifically, standing and special committees were defined as committee organization, membership, and duties was often not defined. More importantly, the proposed changes recommend that each chair of a standing committee will serve as an executive board member with officers of ONA not being allowed to chair any standing committee to keep the executive board number consistent. Proposed committee changes include:

• The Audit Committee - is to be appointed by the president seven days after the ONA elections in April. We propose to move that back to fourteen days after election to give the president more time to gather a committee as seven days is a very short time after election to appoint any committee.

• Nominating Committee - absent from the current bylaws is the duties of nominating committee. Those duties, how many members may serve on the committee and how the committee is formed is now defined. There will be no less than 5 members and no more than 7 members and the committee will be elected at the February general membership meeting.

• Street Representatives – as it stand the executive board consists of 28 street representative and 4 officers for a total of 32 members. The recommendation is to reduce the unwieldy size of ONA’s executive board from 32 to 10 members which is a more appropriate size for an organization of 150-180 members. The recommendation is to change the makeup of the street representatives to a committee wherein they will elect a chair to represent them on the executive board and hold meetings as they see useful and fit in order to communicate matters that pertain to their respective streets. Street representative are a valuable asset to ONA and their other duties will remain relatively unchanged. ONA is the only neighborhood association in Fort Wort with an executive board as large as it is. Gathering 30 plus members of an executive board is a burden for anyone and many of the street representatives have noted that they will not or cannot attend meeting but would rather simply pass out newsletters and communicate with their neighbors. It is believed that more street representatives would participate in ONA if they did not have to be executive board members.

• Two new committees were proposed to be added to the bylaws and their chair would also serve on the executive board, those include the TPW/Zoning Committee that would be tasked with keeping up with city related issues that affect Oakhurst and bringing those matters to the attention of its members and the Social Events Committee which is currently a very visible and active committee that should be recognized and defined in the bylaws with the chair having a seat on the executive board.

• Code of conduct – the code of conduct language was removed from the bylaws however language that there is a code of conduct and members should not be in violation was left in the language. It is recommended that the code of conduct be referred to the executive board and ONA members for drafting and approval as a policy of the organization.

• No amendments will be accepted from the floor during voting as that defeats the purpose of proper notice of amendments to the bylaws. Any updates will go into effect immediately.

Get Your July Oak Leaflet!

This month's issue of The Oak Leaflet is now online.  This month's edition recalls the "Liberty Bell" parade of 1915, features Chanin's President's Message, highlights July's Yard of the Month, recaps the Memorial Day Service at Mount Olivet, and includes a summary of proposed changes to the ONA bylaws.  Look closely and you'll even find a recipe from Phyllis for peanut butter cookies!

Also be sure to check out upcoming activities and events, including info on our upcoming 4th of July Parade!

As always, you may visit our newsletter archive to view or download past issues.

6/13: Special ONA General Membership Meeting!

A special general membership meeting of the Oakhurst Neighborhood Association will take place on Thursday, June 13th, at 6:30 pm in the Calvary Christian Academy cafeteria.

Speakers for the meeting will include David Collyer, presenting the Audit Committee report; Neighborhood Police Officer Doug Gilfour, who will address the uptick in gunfire and garbage dumping along Watauga and Oakhurst Scenic; and representative(s) from the City of Fort Worth, who will present "City Hall 101", a briefing on city departments and what they do.

Attendees will also be voting on a proposed sign variance (read it here).  The variance has been withdrawn by the applicant, as the owner will have to go through the zoning commission and City Council to amend the PD to allow for the proposed sign, rather than just getting a variance.  However, ONA's vote will alert the City to Oakhurst's position on the matter.

June Oak Leaflet - Online Now!

This month's issue of The Oak Leaflet is now online.  Inside, you'll find info on the ONA Walk of Honor, Chanin's President's Message, ONA officers' reports, June's Yard of the Month, an Editor's Message on the "Hidden Gems" of the area, pictures from the ONA Annual Garage Sale, and more!

Be sure to check out upcoming activities and events, and remember that you are always welcome to explore past issues in our newsletter archive.

The May Oak Leaflet is Here!

May Oak Leaflet

This month's issue of The Oak Leaflet is now online!  Click on the image below and/or scroll down to the Upcoming Events below to view details on all of the activities and events slated for the month of May.

As always, you may visit our newsletter archive to view or download past issues.

Upcoming Events

5/9, 9:30 am:  Mother-Daughter Tea
5/9, 6:00 pm:  Foodscaping
5/9-12, 6:00-10:00 pm:  Lanterns in the Garden
5/11, 11:00 am-5:00 pm:  Race Street Rollick
5/17-18:  ONA Garage Sale
5/23, 4:00 pm:  Memorial Day Cookout
5/27, 6:30 pm:  90th Annual Mount Olivet Memorial Day Service

See your May Oak Leaflet and our event calendar for more details!

ONA Election Results

A note from Chanin Scanlon, our newly-elected ONA President:

With the April general membership meeting behind us, I would like to thank Judge B. Glen Whitley for speaking to us about county taxes—how they are being spent and what the future looks like as far as tax necessities go.

We elected new officers at the April meeting as well, and they are as follows:

     President: Chanin Scanlon
     Vice President: Jonathon Zimmerer
     Treasurer: Jan Bass
     Secretary: Debbie Mitchell

I would also like to thank the past officers: Jan Buck, Freda Calabrese, and Burney Dickinson.  Jan Bass is continuing on as our treasurer for another year.

View the April Oak Leaflet

This month's issue of The Oak Leaflet is now online!

As always, you may visit our newsletter archive to view or download past issues.

March Oak Leaflet Online

This month's issue of The Oak Leaflet is now online!  Click on the image below to read Jan's President's Column, make note of upcoming activities and events, and more.

As always, you may visit our newsletter archive to view or download past issues.

Check Out the February Oak Leaflet!

Be sure to check out this month's issue of The Oak Leaflet...available online now!  Learn about the upcoming vote on ONA's bylaws, more info on the potential redevelopment of the Riverside Baptist Church property, the latest update on traffic signage at Daisy and Sylvania, and more.

As always, you may visit our newsletter archive to view or download past issues.

ONA Proposed Bylaws Revisions

On behalf of the ONA Bylaws Committee, we would like to share the final version of the proposed bylaws amendments for the Oakhurst Neighborhood Association.  Click on the links below to view them in two ways:

Proposed ONA Bylaws (clean copy)
Proposed Changes to ONA Bylaws (formatted table)

See below for more details from ONA President Jan Buck:

ONA members,

Attached you will find the final version of the proposed bylaws amendments for ONA...this latest version of revisions includes changes based on recommendations of members at the October meeting.  This has been a lengthy process, but members will get the opportunity to vote on the revisions at the February meeting, which is being moved to 2/21/18 because the 2nd Thursday is Valentine’s Day.

ONA’s current bylaws require members be notified of proposed revisions 7 days prior to the vote, but I want members to have more time to review because there are some significant changes proposed.  The current structure of ONA consists of a 31-member Executive Board, including officers and street representatives, and few committees, with membership limited to 7.  The new structure creates more Standing Committees, allows more committee members, and has the Standing Committee Chairs serving on the executive board along with the Officers; the board would have 9-10 members.  According to Robert’s Rules of Order for Dummies (I don’t want to wade through the formal version), “committees are the organizational units in which the real work gets done."  I seldom meet people who like lengthy board meetings, but I find plenty of dedicated members who don’t mind devoting time to a committee focused on a specific project or goal they find interesting.

Having the Committee Chairs on the board will improve communication and cohesiveness within the organization.  The overall intention for the changes are to create more opportunity for members to get involved and for ONA to get more done.

Please a take a look at the proposed revisions and come ready to vote on Feb 21st, 6:30 pm in the Calvary Academy library.  Members will decide how ONA functions moving forward.

Jan Buck
ONA President

January Oak Leaflet Online Now!

This month's issue of The Oak Leaflet is now online.  This month's edition discusses the fate of Riverside Baptist Church and features pictures of both Santa in the Park and the ONA Holiday Decorating Contest.

Also be sure to check out upcoming activities and events, including information about the (rescheduled) public hearing regarding the scheduled demolition of Riverside Baptist Church.

As always, you may visit our newsletter archive to view or download past issues.