At its work session on June 12, the Fort Worth City Council heard a presentation from Assistant City Manager Fernando Costa about improvements in the Cavile Place/Historic Stop Six area of Fort Worth.
In 2017 the council approved a one-half cent property tax improvement fund for the neighborhood. That amounted to about $2.56 million.
The Ash Crescent neighborhood is the recipient of the funding in 2018, which will amount to about $2.77 million.
The improvements have thus far included:
• Over 300 new street lights.
• Security cameras in key locations that have helped lead to more arrests and convictions for criminal activity.
• 278 tons of brush and trash cleared, including much hazardous material.
• Over 180 tons of litter and dump sites cleared.
• 7,500 linear feet of sidewalks.
• Dozens of curb ramps.
• Improvements to the MLK Junior Community Center.
• A playground in Rosedale Plaza Park.
Vacant lots in the area are now ready for development, and dozens of abandoned buildings are back on the market. Property owners are returning. Building permits went up from 186 to 212 in 2017.
And there is more work to come before the end of the year, Costa said. So far, about 82 percent of the funding has been spent. Plans for the remaining funds of about $450,00 include:
• $310,000 for sidewalks.
• $23,000 for more surveillance cameras (35 in all when finished).
• $16,000 for demolition of foundations and structures.
• $100,000 for Bunche Park Improvements.
Costa said the city is also recommending about $400,000 in Community Block Grant Developments.
“We’re hitting the work in virtually all categories, and in some cases we’re able to produce work at less cost than we anticipated,” he said.
Costa said overall crime is down 23 percent in the area. There was no increase in crimes against people, property crimes are down 24 percent, and crimes on society dropped 53 percent, he said.
“When a neighborhood is safe, when people feel safe and are walking around, the people who want to go there for trouble go somewhere else,” Costa said.
District 5 Councilwoman Gyna Bivens said on-street parking is another issue that should be addressed in the area. She suggested coming up with a creative parking design to go alongside future growth.
“It’s amazing the sense of community pride that has grown in,” she said.
Mayor Betsy Price agreed.
“The beauty of this program is it brings vitality, ownership, and pride and safety back to a neighborhood,” she said.