The Fort Worth City Council on Tuesday, June 16, celebrated the purchase of Broadcast Hill and thanked the Friends of Tandy Hills organization for leading the effort.
Fort Worth purchased 50 acres of prairieland in east Fort Worth known as Broadcast Hill for $610,000. The land will be preserved as open space and maintained consistent with the way in which adjacent Tandy Hills Nature Area is maintained. The land, located at 2, 10 and 11 Broadcast Hill St., was purchased from Total E&P USA Real Estate LLC.
A Broadcast Hill acquisition celebration and ribbon cutting is scheduled for 7 p.m. June 25 on Broadcast Hill, 3400 View St. There will be a few short presentations, followed by photos, a brief walking tour and a chance to enjoy the sunset. The public is invited.
The Broadcast Hill purchase was funded by the city’s Mineral Trust Fund and will be offset by private donations.
The estimated annual operating costs to maintain the property in its natural condition will be $19,130 annually.
The property will be general city property under the Open Space Land Preservation Program and not park land. However, the property will be maintained by the Park and Recreation Department. The public will be allowed to access the property for recreational purposes, such as natural trail use. In the future, the Park and Recreation Department will work with the community to develop appropriate signage and identify possible environmental and educational programming that could be conducted on the property. The deed for the property will contain language preventing surface use of any kind for mineral development.
The land is immediately adjacent to the 160-acre Tandy Hills Natural Area purchased in 1960. The Friends of Tandy Hill Natural Area garnered broad support for the acquisition of the property and raised more than $64,000 in private donations to demonstrate the importance of the property to Tandy Hills and Fort Worth.
The Broadcast Hill purchase is in line with the city’s recent move to form an Open Spaces Team to evaluate options for long-range open space planning and prioritization. The purchase is also consistent with policies identified in the city’s Comprehensive Plan.
Also at the June 16 meeting, longtime East Fort Worth residents, Wanda Conlin and Don Boren, received praise for their $10,000 pledge to support the Reby Cary Youth Library Public Art Project. The $10,000 will be used to support the artwork designed by Joe O’Connell Creative Machines, Inc. specifically to engage youth ages 0 – 18