2016 February Lake Highlands

LAKE HIGHLANDS

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REMEMBER THE ALAMO BECAUSE THE FAMOUS MOVIE THEATER AND DRAFTHOUSE COULD BE COMING SOON.

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ONE YEAR LATER OUR NEW COUNCILMAN, ADAM MCGOUGH, KNOWS CITY HALL INSIDE AND OUT HE’S STILL GETTING TO KNOW LAKE HIGHLANDS.

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ONE DALLAS REFLECTIONS ON OUR CITY’S UNIFIED RESPONSE TO A MASSIVE TRAGEDY

BRAKING FOR PEDESTRIANS

NEW BLOOD NEEDED TO ENSURE CROSSING THE STREET ISN’T A BLOOD SPORT

We were standing at a crosswalk, not one with a light but one with a “yield to pedestrians” sign, waiting to cross the street.

A car on the opposite side stopped immediately, the driver making eye contact with us so we knew it was safe. But the car in the lane nearest us kept coming and coming, finally blowing through the crosswalk with barely a glance in our direction.

I can’t say I was particularly shocked; this type of thing happens regularly in Dallas. Speaking as a driver, I understand why, too: Historically, there have been so few pedestrians in Dallas, it’s a shock when one pops up.

In Boston, though, it’s a different story. As one driver blew through the crosswalk, the driver on the other side sent a harsh look in the direction of the offender and an apologetic look toward us.

And therein lies the difference between Boston, one of the country’s great walking cities, and Dallas, which from time to time claims to be so. Boston’s traffic culture is hardwired to protect walkers, even encourage them, while Dallas’ traffic culture is more along the lines of the cult movie “Death Race 2000.”

In Boston, crosswalks are everywhere, they’re all well-marked, and they practically beg people to cross the street. In Dallas, we have more of an “I dare you” attitude toward pedestrians — good luck finding a convenient, well-marked crosswalk, and Godspeed getting across.

Also, the timing on Boston’s crosswalk signs can be almost hilariously

Rick Wamre

long — more than a couple of times, a walk signal seemingly lasted 30 seconds on a secondary road, with major intersection times even longer. Here in Dallas, I’ve stepped into an intersection the instant the walking dude flashed on, only to see the “Don’t Walk” indicator flashing literally one second later. Not exactly that Texas hospitality we brag about.

Historically, there have been so few pedestrians in Dallas, it’s a shock when one pops up.

Somewhere along the line, Boston made a conscious decision to encourage pedestrians. We’re only now getting to that point here.

The quickest way to build upon some of Dallas’ nascent steps is to ensure the next city manager we hire is someone who currently works far, far away from the City of Dallas.

We need a fresh look at pedestrians, bikers and potholes here, and if history is our guide, it’s not going to come from anyone currently drawing city paychecks.

We need to find the second- or third-in-charge in Boston, in New York, in San Francisco, in Chicago somewhere oriented toward pedestrians and residents. We need to pay that person the “world class” money we needlessly found for the current city manager.

Those of us who live here need to be the priority going forward, not flashy bypass roads and bogus river park plans. The only way that’s going to happen is if we find someone who isn’t already here, supply them with a butcher knife, and tell them to have at it.

is president of Advocate Media. Let him know how we are doing by emailing rwamre@advocatemag.com.

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WHAT’S YOUR LEGACY?

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THE P.O.W. CAMPS OF WHITE ROCK LAKE

ABOUT 300 GERMANS WERE HOUSED NEAR WINFREY POINT FROM 1944-45

When Gen. Erwin Rommel’s Afrika Korps fell to the Allied Forces in May 1943, the United States had to figure out what to do with hundreds of thousands of prisoners of war.

Some were sent to Mississippi and elsewhere in the South, but most came to camps in Texas. Our state had plenty of space for the prisoners, and the weather here is similar enough to Northern Africa. A 1929 Geneva Convention rule states that prisoners of war must be housed in similar climates to those from which they are taken.

As many as 200,000 German prisoners of war were housed in Texas from 1943-45, and a few hundred of them were imprisoned at White Rock Lake.

The U.S. Army had built barracks near Winfrey Point for the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935. Dozens of otherwise impoverished American men ages 18-24 lived in the barracks and worked for the conservation corps, earning $40 a month, of which $22 was sent directly to their families. The corps built many of the lake’s amenities, including Sunset Inn, the picnic area at Flagpole Hill and the Big Thicket building. The Corps

also installed concrete bollards around the lake, which are still in use today; it began construction on the Winfrey Point building before the United States entered World War II and the Conservation Corps program ended.

After the fall of the Afrika Korps, thousands of German prisoners were brought to Mexia, 85 miles southeast of Dallas, and housed in new buildings. The old Conservation Corps barracks at White Rock were used as overflow housing for the crowded P.O.W. camp at Mexia.

About 300 German soldiers were housed at the lake from 1944-45. Their first task upon arrival was to build a security fence topped with barbed wire and guard stations surrounding the barracks, according to Sally Rodriguez’s 2010 book, “Images of America: White Rock Lake.” Their barracks, just a few feet from Garland Road, were guarded day and night by U.S. Army soldiers.

Above, German prisoners of war enter a train car at Mexia in Texas. Some 200,000 German P.O.W.s were housed in Texas from 1943-45. Below, German P.O.W.s were paid 80 cents per day in canteen coupons. (Images courtesy of the Friends of Camp Hearne)

Every night, the Germans were taken by bus to Fair Park, where they worked a third shift at a repair shop. The Army quartermaster shop repaired uniforms, shoes, helmets, tents and other equipment. At its peak, the shop employed 707 civilians in two shifts; 614 were women, more than 60 percent of whom were the mothers of United States servicemen.

For their work in the shop, the Germans earned 80-cents a day, paid in canteen coupons.

No prisoners ever escaped from the White Rock camp, but escapes were reported at some of the dozens of other camps in Texas, particularly from camps in Mexia and Hearne. All of them were quickly recaptured. A 2012 story from the History Channel reported that most German prisoners were content to stay in the camps because they were well fed and had relative freedom and peace, compared to the warring in Europe. Most of the escapes were thought to have been due to the boredom of young men looking for women and booze, according to the Texas State Historical Society. The accommodations at White Rock were particularly comfortable compared to other Texas P.O.W. camps, where prisoners were housed in old Army tents and even circus tents.

Members of Congress and the American public expressed displeasure at the relatively luxurious conditions for German prisoners, who played soccer, were given art supplies and received educational opportunities, lax punishments, plenty of food and even beer in some places. The camps were derisively known as the “Fritz Ritz.”

When the war ended in 1945, the Germans were sent to Europe, 50,000 at a time, to help with efforts to rebuild in England and France before being shipped home.

The Dallas Parks Department

regained control of White Rock Lake from the Army in 1946. The quartermaster repair shop at Fair Park closed the same year.

Starting in 1946, the barracks were used to house about 200 military veterans enrolling at SMU

under the G.I. Bill.

The Mexia camp became what is now known as the Mexia State Supported Living Center. The camp in Hunstville is now a golf course. In Hearne, the old camp has been partially rebuilt and is a museum

related to Texas’ prisoner of war camps during World War II.

All that’s left of the Dallas encampment today is an old fire hydrant amid the grassy prairie of White Rock Lake.

—RACHEL STONE

A view of the Civilian Conservation Corps barracks at White Rock Lake, which were built in 1935 and later used to house German prisoners of war. (Photo courtesy of “Images of America: White Rock Lake” by Sally Rodriguez)

PAVILION RESTORATION

THE HAMILTON PARK PAVILION RECEIVES $154,000

A bit of our neighborhood’s park history is being restored.

The City of Dallas received a $154,000 grant from Going Forward Inc. to rebuild the 1965 pavilion in Hamilton Park.

Work could begin as soon as this month on the pavilion, which originally was constructed of concrete in an angular, modern style. The shelter began decaying years ago and recently began falling to pieces.

Hamilton Park was built in 1957 on land given to the city by the Citizens Interracial Association, a nonprofit that was dedicated to fulfilling the housing needs of black Dallas residents before they were protected by law from housing discrimination.

The park is adjacent to the Hamilton Park neighborhood, which the association developed beginning

in 1953 with 700 houses on 179 acres. The development was an effort to offer for-sale houses to black residents pushed out of their homes due to the expansion of Love Field and racially motivated bombings in South Dallas.

The Hoblitzelle Foundation loaned the association $216,872 to purchase the land, and the foundation itself took out $423,619 in loans from three Dallas banks to fund water and sewer lines, according to the Handbook of Texas Online.

The park was integrated from its beginning, at a time when most Dallas parks were segregated. It received updates in 1960 — a baseball diamond, tennis courts and a concrete area for basketball and volleyball.

Now the park is on the Cottonwood Creek Trail and in recent years has gained covered basketball courts. The new pavilion could be completed next year. —RACHEL STONE

Above left, an early rendering of Hamilton Park (courtesy Dallas Municipal Archives); at right, a photo of the crumbling pavilion today. (Photos by Rasy Ran)

OUT & ABOUT

Aug.1-31

DOLLAR DAYS

August is the best time of the month to head over to the Dallas Arboretum with $1 admission and $5 parking.

Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland Road, 214.515.6615, dallasarboretum.org, $1

Aug. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

COMPUTER HELP

Struggling with computer issues? At the Audelia Road Public Library, there are one-on-one tutoring sessions every Tuesday in August.

Audelia Road Public Library, 10045 Audelia Road, 214.670.1350, dallaslibrary2.org, free

Aug. 4-20

Herbbits, Wizards & Borks

Back by popular demand, the Pocket Sandwich Theater’s “Herbbits, Wizards & Borks, Oh My!” finishes its summer run this month with its satirical take on “The Lord of the Rings.”

Pocket Sandwich Theater, 5400 E. Mockingbird Lane, 214.821.1860, pocketsandwich.com, $12-$25

Aug. 11-27

WORLD PREMIERE

The Pegasus Theatre will have its world premiere of “The Coarse Actor Rises” at the Bath House Cultural Center. The show, filled with laughter, runs for three weekends.

Bath House Cultural Center, 521 E. Lawther Drive, 214.670.8749, dallasculture.org, $15-$25

AUGUST

Aug. 12

MIDNIGHT SHOWING

It may not be new, but there’s always a reason for a midnight showing of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Head on over to the Angelica Film Center and join fans of the cult classic — don’t forget the toast.

Angelika Film Center & Café, 5321 E. Mockingbird Lane, suite 230, 972.943.1300, angelikafilmcenter.com, $10

Aug. 20

FOR SALE

Want to shop the mother of all garage sales?

More than 50 families contribute to this fundraising event that supports the Lake Highlands High School Highlandettes and runs from 8 a.m.-2p.m. Early bird shoppers can pay $5 for first dibs on Friday, Aug. 19, from 8-10 p.m. Lake Highlands High School gym, 9449 Church Road, highlandettes.com, free

Aug. 20

BACK TO SCHOOL

Back to school means back to NorthPark Center. With the ABC’s of Back-to-School event, there will be plenty of activities to get your kids ready for the first bell of the year. NorthPark Center, 8687 N. Central Expressway, 214.363.7441, northparkcenter.com, free

quigleyac.com

1st time customer only 972.441.7052

LAKE HIGHLANDS LOVES LOCAL

For pizza, we prefer Atomic Pie over the New York City transplant Grimaldi’s in Shops at Park Lane, and like the little taqueria in the heart of our neighborhood slightly more than the better-known one on Greenville, though we appreciate and patronize all of them. We are Lake Highlands, and that’s how we do things, which was made apparent in the annual Advocate Best Of contest.

While other contests focus on the entire city, ours looks only at

the Best Of in or bordering our neighborhood. It highlights the places and spaces that are beloved by our readers, not some corporate marketing team, and it shows what we value as a community.

Visit nearby Goodfriend if you’re into craft beer and creative menu items, our readers rave, or One Nostalgia Place if you’re in the mood for a classic watering hole where Miller Lite still reigns king.

Those looking to break bread

Another Broken Egg Cafe

It’s our passion to create exceptional dishes for breakfast, brunch and lunch that are “craveably” delicious with an artisanal flair. Mon-Sun

Haute Sweets Patisserie

Treat yourself & the ones you love with the finest desserts, French Macarons, cookies, cakes & more. Award-winning chefs bring premium restaurant quality treats right to our neighborhood. Paleo & Gluten-free available.

Mon-Fri: 9:00am-7:00pm Sat: 10:00am-6:00pm

One90 Smoked Meats

Offering bbq combo plates, sandwiches, tacos, sides, desserts & a wide variety of locally smoked meats, including Brisket, Bison, Turkey, Chicken, Pork, Salmon, Duck, Lamb & Tenderloins.

Hours: Mon. Closed Tues.-Sat. 11am-8pm Sun. 11am-5pm

earlier in the day will want to head to JJ’s Café or Neighbor’s Casual Kitchen.

And when you just need to get away from it all and relax, or want to show off the best attraction in the neighborhood, just head over to White Rock Lake and bask in the natural beauty.

Palapas Seafood Bar

Come see why we were voted one of the best patios in Dallas for 2016. Experience our special flavorings & recipes from Mexico’s seafood capital Sinaloa.

Enjoy our Happy Hour from 4-7pm.

Frank’s Taco Grill

At Frank’s Taco Grill, we are bringing the classic street-style taqueria experience into the modern day. Frank’s offers high-quality, all-natural tacos that everyone will enjoy.

TURN TO PAGE 16 TO SEE THE FULL LIST OF ADVOCATE BEST OF WINNERS.

Delicious

In addition to a full beer menu, Blatt Beer & Table includes a full line of cocktails. (Photo by Kathy Tran)

BLATT BEER & TABLE

Blatt Beer & Table, one of several new additions at Preston Hollow Village in recent months, is a bit of a conundrum. It’s a non-sporty sports bar, where you can actually have a conversation instead of being drowned out by the din of televisions. It serves classic bar foods like sausage on a stick, and chicken and waffles, alongside vegan and gluten-free options including falafel sliders and root burgers. It’s named for Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Nebraska despite its Texas location.

To be fair, the business was first launched in Omaha, honoring the stadium where the College World Series takes place each year. It was the brainchild of college buddies Anthony Hitchcock, Nick Hogan and Tom Allisma, who wanted to bring something relaxed yet upscale, with a gourmet take on classic comfort food. They found a like-minded chef-owner in Tony Gentile.

The concept garnered a warm reception from patrons looking for something new in the neighborhood.

Every item is somehow simultaneously familiar but unique. Take their signature pretzel bites served with pungent rosemary mustard and gruyere fondue, or the pulled pork sandwich served with a jalapeño cornbread waffle.

It’s a place that invites you to linger for a while over shared plates and conversations. Shuffleboard lines the back wall, and happy hour offers deep discounts such as 16-ounce PBR beers for $2 and $5 cocktails.

It is the first Blatt Beer & Table in Texas, but the second Dallas joint for the restaurant’s founders, who also own Blue Sushi Sake Grill right next door.

—EMILY CHARRIER

BLATT BEER & TABLE

7859 WALNUT HILL LANE, #170 469.372.2080

BLATTBEER.COM

ATMOSPHERE: RELAXED GASTROPUB

PRICE RANGE: $4-$15

HOURS: SUNDAY-THURSDAY, 11 A.M.-11 P.M.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY, 11 A.M.-2 A.M.

DID YOU KNOW?

Restaurateur Anthony Hitchcock’s grandfather pitched to Babe Ruth inside Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium, for which the business is named.

ADVOCATE’S BEST OF 2016 RECAP

LAKE HIGHLANDS

Over the past three months, Advocate readers voted to select the best of Lake Highlands. Be sure to visit all of these local spots, and share your pictures with us on social media — we’d love to see you around the neighborhood.

#AdvocateBestOf Facebook.com/LakeHighlandsAdvocate Twitter.com/Advocate_LH Advocate_Mag_Dallas

BEST OF DINING

BEST TACOS WINNER

RESIDENT TAQUERIA

RUNNERS-UP

Rusty Taco

Green Spot

NOMINEES

Taqueria Latina

Taqueria Los Altos de Jalisco

El Rincon Villa

BEST PIZZA WINNER

ATOMIC PIE

RUNNERS-UP

Grimaldi’s (Shops at Park Lane)

Primo Brothers Pizza & Pasta

NOMINEES

Tony’s Pizza

Roma’s Pizza

Alfonso’s

Picasso’s Pizza

BEST BREAKFAST/BRUNCH

WINNER

JJ’S CAFÉ (2014 Winner)

RUNNERS-UP

Ozona Grill & Bar

Neighbor’s Casual Kitchen

NOMINEES

Another Broken Egg

Chubby’s Hypnotic Donuts

BEST LUNCH SPOT

WINNER

NEIGHBOR’S CASUAL KITCHEN

RUNNERS-UP

Resident Taqueria

JJ’s Café

NOMINEES

Nature’s Plate

Little Greek

BEST BAR WINNER

GOODFRIEND BEER GARDEN & BURGER HOUSE (2015 Winner)

RUNNERS-UP

One Nostalgia Tavern

Go 4 It Sports Grill

NOMINEES

The Royal Pour O’Riley’s

BEST DESSERT/BAKERY/ SWEET SHOP

WINNER

NOTHING BUNDT CAKES

RUNNERS-UP

Haute Sweets Patisserie

Casa Linda Bakery

NOMINEES

Unrefined Bakery

Highland Park Cafeteria

Society Bakery

Steel City Pops

BEST BURGERS WINNER

VARSITY GRILL (2014 Winner)

RUNNERS-UP

Goodfriend Beer Garden and Burger House

Jake’s

NOMINEES

JG’s Hamburgers

Keller’s Hamburgers

Shady’s Burger Joint Deep South Burgers

BEST GIFT SHOP

WINNER

THE STORE IN LAKE HIGHLANDS

RUNNERS-UP

White Rock Soap Gallery

Makers Connect

NOMINEES

Ra Ra’s Closet

Sample House

BEST OF SERVICES

BEST HOME & GARDEN

WINNER

GECKO HARDWARE

RUNNERS-UP

Brumley Gardens

The Store in Lake Highlands

NOMINEES

City View Antique Mall

Walton’s

Rohdes Nursery

Elliott’s Hardware

BEST PET SERVICE

WINNER

HAPPY TAILS DOGGIE DAYCARE

RUNNERS-UP

East Lake Cat Care Center

Unleashed by Petco

NOMINEES

Doggie Den Dallas

The Fish Gallery

BEST PLACE TO WORK OUT WINNER

LAKE HIGHLANDS YMCA

RUNNERS-UP

Peak Zone Fitness

Crossfit Lake Highlands

NOMINEES

Lake Highlands Rec Center

Studio 6 Fitness

BEST OF CULTURE

BEST DATE NIGHT

WINNER

ENCHILADA’S (2015 Winner)

RUNNERS-UP

White Rock Skate Center

Mariano’s

NOMINEES

Top Golf

Bowl and Barrel

Dave and Buster’s

Picasso’s Pizza

Neighbor’s Casual Kitchen

BEST PLACE TO RELAX WINNER

WHITE ROCK LAKE

RUNNERS-UP

Café Silva

CenterPark Garden at NorthPark

NOMINEES

Richland College Campus

Watercrest Park

Rocking M Stables

Lucky Dog Books

BEST PLACE FOR KIDS

WINNER

WHITE ROCK SKATE CENTER (2015 Winner)

RUNNERS-UP

Dallas Arboretum

KayCee Pool

NOMINEES

Audelia Road Library

Lake Highlands Rec Center

FOE Pool

Dallas Children’s Theater

White Rock Lake

Little Lakewood

BEST LOCAL ATTRACTION WINNER

DALLAS ARBORETUM

RUNNERS-UP

White Rock Lake

FOE Pool

NOMINEES

Bath House Cultural Center

KayCee Pool

Good Local Market

Best Place to Relax winner, White Rock Lake (Photo by Danny Fulgencio)

MILLION-DOLLAR NEIGHBORHOOD?

HOME VALUES ARE SKYROCKETING IN LAKE HIGHLANDS. SOME OF US ARE MAKING FAST MONEY. OTHERS ARE BEING PUSHED OUT.

STORY BY EMILY CHARRIER

PHOTOS BY RASY RAN

We’ve heard that a rising tide lifts all boats — but what about the little schooners toppled in the cresting waves? It’s an allegory that applies to the Lake Highlands real estate market: 10 years ago, million-dollar homes barely existed, but now they stud the neighborhood. At a time when housing prices have jumped 12 percent during the past year, properties once valued at $250,000 are now more likely to fetch $400,000-$500,000. That’s great news if you’re leaving or trading up. But what if you love it here and want to stay? Will the changing economics ruin a onceaffordable neighborhood, driving away families unable to pay rising property taxes?

THE SECRET IS OUT

Realtors have long called Lake Highlands the best-kept secret in Dallas. With its top-notch schools, proximity to White Rock Lake and strong sense of community, our neighborhood has been considered one of the best places in Dallas to start a family.

“Around $250,000 was average for a lot three to four years ago,” says Jason Thomas, a neighbor who has been selling real estate in Lake Highlands for 10 years, most recently with Nathan Grace Real Estate.

“Now it’s just about impossible to find anything under $400,000.”

With land values skyrocketing, the only thing seemingly going down is demand for the modest singlefamily tract homes that cropped up all over northeast Dallas during the housing boom in the 1960s and ’70s. Area Realtors say buyers now want sleekly modern touches such as expansive closets and energyefficient appliances, often with a vintage design twist — think of the shabby-chic home touches that are all the rage on Pinterest and HGTV, from reclaimed wood floors to farm sinks in the kitchen.

There’s a new type of buyer in town, one that previously would have gone to Lakewood or the Park Cities.

“Briggs Freeman is a luxury real estate firm, and the fact that we’re paying close attention to Lake Highlands says something. Five years ago, that wasn’t the case,” says Melissa Touris, a Lake Highlands resident who has worked with Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty for five years.

Developers have figured out that buyers will pay a premium for a customized dream home, so the hunt is largely focused on lots over houses.

Take the recent sale of 10111 Rustleleaf Drive, where the fivebedroom home built in 1972 was likely seen as an inconvenience to

the acre of land it sat upon. Lots that large are hard to come buy in Dallas, and developers see dollar signs when they hit the market.

The property was listed for $995,000 and snatched up in 33 days. Realtors predict the property will be broken into several lots, each containing $500,000-$600,000 homes, creating a healthy profit margin for whoever develops it.

At a time when developers will spend $400,000 for a property, only to spend hundreds of thousands more knocking down and replacing the home, it’s no surprise prices are nudging seven figures.

“No longer can you buy a home for $145,000-$200,000, tear it down and still be under $1 million,” says Ebby Halliday Realtors’ Jan Stell, who has 33 years of real estate experience in Lake Highlands and lives in the neighborhood herself.

THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD?

The market seems to take as much as it gives, in some neighbors’ eyes.

Is the rising market boosting owners’ equity in homes? Yes. Do increasing home values encourage lower property tax bills? No.

And then there’s that x-factor that can’t be weighed or measured — the impact on our neighborhood’s character.

Pam James recalls moving into her home just east of White Rock Lake 24 years ago. The modest three-bedroom, one-bathroom tract home built in 1953 looked much like all the other houses on the block.

“The aesthetics of the neighborhood changed over the years, but not as drastically as the last two years,” James says. “There is this impression with the new generation that if it’s old, it’s not worth a damn.”

James knew she was sitting on 8,800 square feet of land whose value was continuing to climb, but she didn’t get the full scope of the

picture until she saw her property tax bill. In 2015, the Dallas Central Appraisal District valued her land at $88,070; the very next year, the appraised value was $211,370, a 140 percent spike.

It’s likely a sign the land was previously undervalued by the county, but it was a jump any homeowner would notice.

“I couldn’t believe it,” James says. “Did I put some gold-flaked

grass on this property? What happened?”

While Texas caps hikes in property taxes paid by homeowners at 10 percent each year, the rising tax bills add up quickly when prices are

soaring. And James isn’t the only one who found herself becoming priced out of the neighborhood.

“It’s getting so volatile,” James says. “Many feel powerless in the face of the new people moving in.”

Sick of the changing character of the neighborhood and wanting additional room for her husband’s mechanics shop, the couple decided to cash in their little gem on Classen Drive and buy a bigger plot in St. Paul, Texas. But James says she didn’t want their Lake Highlands Estate home going to just anyone.

“I don’t know any human being who doesn’t feel some sort of attachment to their house, especially after 24 years there,” she says.

She didn’t want the house she loved so much to be torn down and replaced “by a McMansion.” She also says she didn’t want to share any of the profits with a Realtor, so she first attempted to sell the home herself by posting ads using an unusual pitch.

“No investors. Homestead buyer interest only,” her ads read. “Understand this is a highly desired area to live in; there are few houses for sale in this price range in this neighborhood. A new owner can make this an adorable home to live in for a long time without destroying its original integrity.”

James says she wanted to send a message: She wanted to sell her home to a family that would love and cherish the space as she had. It was an unusual tactic that ultimately didn’t work. Her home is in Old Lake Highlands, outside the desirable Richardson Independent School District boundaries, meaning lower prices and a smaller pool of buyers, she says. After months on the market, she gave up and found a Realtor who sold the home to a buyer whose intent is unclear.

“I don’t know if he’ll tear it down,” she says wistfully.

Unlike James, many local Realtors don’t believe the face of the neighborhood is changing — Lake Highlands always has been, and always will be, a place for families. In fact, it’s just that tight-knit sense of community James loved that brings buyers here.

Thomas says his clients are drawn to the “front porch community” where they know their neighbors, where their kids can find playmates down the street and where people say hello to each other in the grocery store. Although existing homes are being replaced by larger, more modern options, the neighborhood character remains.

“The motto is a small town in a big city,” Touris says. “That’s what most people want when they move to Lake Highlands.”

James agrees the neighborhood is still popular with families, but that doesn’t change the fact that some long-time residents are finding themselves unable to keep up with the rising costs. She understands the desire to make a profit, as she herself just did, but she still worries about the long-term implications.

“Is this a good thing or is this a bad thing? I think it’s both. It just depends on who you are,” she says. “The ones who are going to benefit are the ones who can afford the taxes.”

WHO’S BUYING?

There’s no question that the metroplex is hot right now, with the North Texas suburbs growing at a staggering one person every five minutes (that’s 2,016 a week) according to Ebby Halliday Realtors. As more and more Fortune 500 companies like Toyota and State Farm relocate to the Dallas area, they bring waves of new residents

looking to snatch their own piece of Texas real estate. However, neighborhood Realtors say they make up only a small percentage of the buyers who are targeting Lake Highlands.

“Most are coming from somewhere else in Dallas,” Thomas says. “They’re usually young families looking for good schools.”

Stell says she has seen a number

CAN WE BE THE NEW LAKEWOOD?

Just before the recession cooled the market 10 years ago, Lakewood was in a boom. Houses were snapped up days after they hit the market, driving up prices and causing bidding wars.

Meanwhile, in Lake Highlands, things remained pretty status quo.

But when buyers found themselves priced out of Lakewood, they still wanted proximity to White Rock Lake so they started looking north. Between 2005-06, the price per square foot jumped from $119.94 to $128.98, a statistically significant 7 percent that trumped the growth in many other Dallas neighborhoods at the time. It was a turning point, causing a steady uptick that reached an average price per square foot of $155 in May 2016, up 6 percent from a year earlier.

“Maybe we’re just four or five years behind Lakewood,” Thomas says.

of buyers relocate from the Park Cities, looking for more land and a turn-key-ready home high on features and low on maintenance.

“There are buyers right in Lake Highlands who want to leave their ranch-style home and have a home with tall ceilings, an open floor plan, large closets and all the amenities,” Stell says.

Many buyers also have a tie to the neighborhood — either they grew up here themselves or have a relative living in the area. Very few people moving from outside the area have ever heard of our neighborhood.

“Lake Highlands is off the radar. People have heard of Lakewood, but only people in Dallas know Lake Highlands,” Touris says.

But like Lakewood, Lake Highlands has pockets popping up that set their own staggeringly high price points. Take the ultra-modern Urban Reserve built near White Rock Creek by Urban Edge Developers, where the price per square foot averages $250-$310.

“Even six months ago, you could buy in Urban Reserve for a lot less,” Touris says.

Recently, some buyers have preferred Lake Highlands to our better-known neighbor to the south, thanks largely to the larger average lot size and the fact that Richardson Independent School District trumps Dallas Independent School District in most educational rankings.

“The schools are the number one driver for buyers,” Stell says.

One major difference between the two lakeside neighborhoods is the reverence for history. While

“The aesthetics of the neighborhood changed over the years, but not as drastically as the last two years. There is this impression with the new generation that if it’s old, it’s not worth a damn.”

some parts of Lakewood have been locking down their neighborhoods with historic preservation districts, which dictate what changes homeowners can make on their properties in an effort to preserve the character of the original architecture, Lake Highlands has not, likely because there are fewer architectural darlings neighbors are hounding to protect.

“As 1960s buildings are now eligible for historic status, it’s quite possible that some of the 1950s to 1960s development up there could be a historic district,” says David Preziosi, executive director of Preservation Dallas.

“More likely, though, is them becoming a conservation district if the neighborhood so chooses. I

haven’t heard anything about any Lake Highlands neighborhoods wanting to do either.”

The other obvious difference is the lack of commercial options in our neighborhood. We have relatively fewer neighborhood watering holes and restaurants. But Realtors say that’s part of the charm. Our streets are lined with mature trees and have the look and feel of a suburb without leaving the loop. We’re only minutes away from many of Dallas’ foodie and party havens, but we don’t have to live with the headaches they bring.

“You can’t really walk to a restaurant easily,” Stell says. “But the traffic is much more manageable.”

That, too, seems about to change.

THE DOMINO EFFECT

HOW NEIGHBORHOOD HOME VALUES ARE IMPACTING RETAIL PROJECTS

Lake Highlands is a desirable place to live, and developers and retailers are starting to take notice. These three projects reflect the neighborhood’s spiking home values, and may contribute to even more upsurges.

LAKE HIGHLANDS TOWN CENTER

Nearly a decade after its initial groundbreaking, dirt is finally turning at the Skillman-Walnut Hill project. Its new design is less dense and less ambitious than the original plans but better reflects what neighbors want and what the market calls for, says Bill Rafkin, who is developing the site. The shells of the Sprouts grocery

store-anchored “Shops at Lake Highlands,” with retail shops fronting Skillman, should be finished next summer, he says, and the 257-unit apartment complex backing up to White Rock Creek will break ground this summer.

The transitioning neighborhood is the driving force behind which retailers are interested in the project, Rafkin says.

“This is a heavily residential neighborhood, and the demographics are changing — some say for the better, some say for the worse,” he says. “Some people are buying older homes and scraping them, then you have loyal Lake Highlands residents, so there’s a mix there.”

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“You can’t go super high-end,” Rafkin continues, but he is seeing interest from a variety of restaurants, as well as a few service and “soft goods” retailers so that neighbors “don’t have to drive to Preston Royal or Timbercreek.”

SKILLMAN ABRAMS SHOPPING CENTER

Several sources are telling us that Austin-based Alamo Drafthouse, known for its art-house feel and innovative food and drink menu, is looking to replace the old Tom Thumb at the northeast corner of Skillman and Abrams.

At press time, Alamo Drafthouse Dallas COO Bill Digaetano wouldn’t confirm the rumors, saying only that the company is “looking very hard for a location where Alamo can land in East Dallas. That said, we have yet to settle on an exact location.”

Tom Thumb vacated the building three years ago, leaving the Skillman Abrams Shopping Center on the intersection’s northeast corner without an anchor.

“A grocery store in there again is kind of a hard sell,” says Lake Highlands resident Ryan Fuqua, a senior associate with commercial real estate brokerage firm The Weitzman Group. He notes that with Super Target across the street, Walmart and Sam’s down the road at Timbercreek Crossing, and Sprouts under construction up the road at the Lake Highlands Town Center, the market is “already heavily dominated by big-box guys.”

An entertainment concept may be the best prospect for an anchor, Fuqua says, and if Alamo Drafthouse moves in, “I think it brings a whole new life to that center.”

“If a theater is going somewhere,

they see potential,” he says. “I think it’s going to spark interest in everyone’s eyes if it gets announced.”

SKILLMAN GATEWAY

Like the Lake Highlands Town Center, the Skillman Gateway project also is roughly a decade in the making, though it hasn’t received as much fanfare.

Elements of the project address the four corners of Skillman and 635, and include the construction of a “signature bridge” along Skillman as well as a plan to turn the isolated and underused Skillman-635 DART station into a transit-oriented, mixed-use development.

And, of course, detangling the confusing and accident-prone interchange where Skillman, Audelia and LBJ come together.

To move the project along, Councilman Adam McGough organized monthly meetings where the three entities working on the project — the City of Dallas, the Texas Department of Transportation and the North Texas Council of Governments — could come together and resolve challenges. At the most recent meeting, the signature bridge, which “adds a lot to this project, but is a substantial expense,” McGough says, was fully approved without the city having to pay a dime for it, thanks to conversations that revealed how the bridge would save money in other areas.

“This is the gateway project into the district and also connects between the north and south,” McGough says. He expects it to be a catalyst for economic development in the area, and that it likely will “become more of the center of the district than anywhere else.”

THE SEASONED ROOKIE

ONLY ONE YEAR IN, OUR NEIGHBORHOOD’S NEW COUNCILMAN KNOWS CITY HALL INSIDE AND OUT. HE’S STILL FIGURING OUT LAKE HIGHLANDS.

STORY BY KERI MITCHELL

PHOTOS BY DANNY FULGENCIO

Lake Highlands Councilman

Adam McGough can’t shed his City Hall mindset now that he’s on the other side of the horseshoe.

A little more than a year into office, he still looks at our neighborhood through the eyes of a community prosecutor, a position the city created in the mid-2000s to bring together several different departments to address problem properties and chronic crime. McGough was one of the first and was so successful in the role that he eventually became Mayor Mike Rawlings’ chief of staff, a position he left to run for council.

“My wheelhouse is dealing with the highest crime areas,” McGough says. “I guess I had some delusion that I would turn into a councilman and not be the same person I was before, but I’m still a community prosecutor.”

Though Lake Highlands is known as a bedroom community, McGough’s District 10, which largely encompasses our neighborhood, has the hottest crime spot in Dallas — the multifamily corridor around Forest Lane and Audelia Road, where 20,000 people live. McGough says he feels “drawn” to Forest-Audelia and areas like it. Sixty-three percent of McGough’s constituents live in District 10’s roughly 100 apartment complexes, he says.

“I think a major part of my role is to break down the walls between the ‘us vs. them’ mentality,” he says.

That’s proving to be an uphill battle. In the June 2015 election runoff, a mere 36 votes gave him the win against Paul Reyes in a hard-fought race. Most of his support came from north of I-635 and on the western edges of the district, outside the residential nucleus of Lake Highlands.

McGough, a Nacogdoches native, is the first Lake Highlands councilman in decades whom

some neighborhood insiders view as an outsider. His most recent predecessors — Jerry Allen, Bill Blaydes and Alan Walne — are either Lake Highlands High School alums or parents of alums, or both. Allen even touted his stint as an LHHS Bellboy in his initial 2007 campaign.

At the beginning of McGough’s campaign, he was “introduced” to the Lake Highlands Exchange Club, a group that neighborhood political aspirants typically emerge out of, not into. And he was excoriated for buying a home in the Park Cities to send his children to Highland Park schools rather than to our neighborhood’s Richardson public schools.

He won anyway, but the slim margin foreshadowed a steep learning curve when it came to Lake Highlands.

His naïveté was likely evident to the crowd of 60 or so which gathered at McGough’s first neighborhood meeting at Neighbors Casual Kitchen. He had sent out a Facebook notice on a Wednesday, hoping that maybe five or 10 people would show up that Friday. His estimate was off, as was his expectation for the discussion.

“I wanted to talk about all these issues and things I was working on, but over and over and over again,

“My wheelhouse is dealing with the highest crime areas.

I guess I had some delusion that I would turn into a councilman and not be the same person I was before, but I’m still a community prosecutor.”

people were complaining about multi-family,” he says.

“What I took from that is, I can’t just ask people to accept it,” McGough says. “There has to be a concerted effort so I can go back to this group and say, ‘It is better now.’ ”

A few months later, Dallas Police Chief David Brown announced a “violent crime task force” focused on Forest-Audelia, concentrating officers from SWAT to K9 and every unit in between. Within the first month, McGough says, crime stats citywide had dropped by 11 percent.

“That tells you something, right?” he says. “Either we had so much crime happening in our area that it skews the numbers, or crime coming from Forest-Audelia impacted other areas.”

He has heard law enforcement officials refer to it as “the hive, the hornet’s nest of violent crime.” Walne, who was Lake Highlands’ councilman from 1996-2003, believes that Forest-Audelia is, indeed, “feeding over into the adjacent neighborhoods” and “whether perception or reality, the perception I get is we’re having

a sizable increase in all kinds of different crimes in the district — residential break-ins and burglaries, car vandalism and theft.”

“Something that’s going to be incumbent upon Adam is really beating the drum and saying, ‘Hey, pay attention to me,’ ” Walne says of pointing the city’s resources toward Lake Highlands crime.

McGough says he successfully advocated this past year for another Dallas community prosecutor who would focus on multi-family properties. The position is in pilot stages right now, with District 10 as the initial focus.

McGough says he’s turning his attention to adding more code officers to the city budget.

“There are only 13 code officers for multi-family in the entire city, only 2 in the northeast, and we wonder why we have issues in our district,” McGough says.

He’s not one of the more showy or outspoken councilmen, favoring strategic efforts behind the scenes rather than being the focus of the public spotlight. This approach is earning McGough respect among some of his prior critics.

Walne supported Reyes in the

election, but “that’s all water under the bridge,” Walne says.

“After the election, I contacted Adam and said, ‘Hey, you’re the guy; let me know what I can do to help.” The freshman councilman took him up on the offer, Walne says, and has reached out several times.

Likewise, McGough has made efforts to loop in his other opponent, James White, who endorsed McGough in the runoff after he agreed to oppose a high speed tollroad within the Trinity River levees, which had been the cornerstone of White’s campaign.

McGough’s first policy proposal — “the first time I pushed the button to say I wanted to speak” — was a Trinity Parkway discussion in which he proposed a compromise that would allow the city to spend its remaining Trinity Parkway funds only on a four-lane “meandering” road. It was a move that aligned him, at least on that issue, with “New Dallas” progressives and rebuffed his former boss.

The compromise, though approved by Council, hasn’t ended all possibility of a high-speed tollway in the future, but “he’s done what he told me he would do,” White says. White believes it will take even more changes to City Council seats to put the final nails in the Trinity tollroad’s coffin.

McGough is “standing there, King Canute, but the tide’s going to come in,” White says, though if he hadn’t put forward the compromise, “there could have been something far worse agreed to.”

What happens within the Trinity levees, however, is not popular cocktail chatter in most Lake Highlands social circles. Two other topics — the Lake Highlands Town Center retail development at Walnut Hill and Skillman, and the overcrowding of some Lake Highlands public schools — took precedence during McGough’s

Plaza at Dallas City Hall.

freshman year. Neither of these are City Council issues per se, but from Walne’s experience, that doesn’t really matter.

“Going into this year and into his next term, provided he wants to run again, these will be a focal point on the electorate’s mind,” Walne says.

McGough’s approach to both comes down to using the only tools in his belt: his council megaphone

and whatever bargaining chips the city has at its disposal.

The Town Center had been an almost decade-long public-private partnership until October, when developer Bill Rafkin relinquished $30 million in future economic development incentives in order to proceed with the project on his own terms. McGough responded by hosting a town hall in March where

THE market

URBAN THRIFT

Thrift store

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New stuff & sales everyday! We accept ALL donations! You’re welcome to come drop them off or schedule a FREE pick up! We give back to our community!

LAKE HIGHLANDS ACUPUNCTURE

Health & Wellness

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ECHO BOUTIQUE

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lakehighlands.advocatemag.com

2016

neighbors could engage with Rafkin, and holding the developer’s feet to the fire to fix and maintain the parkland, lighting and landscaping on the Town Center property.

For Lake Highlands elementary schools, some of which are bursting at the seams, McGough made his own pitch for a new magnet elementary school to be built just east of Lake Highlands High School

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LAKE HIGHLANDS FLOWERS

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9661 Audelia Road, Suite 118 214.340.9950 shopLHF.com

Make any occasion Beautiful. Two florists at one location. Lake Highlands Flowers and Holt’s Meadow Central Florists 214.363.2732. We offer the finest floral arrangements in the neighborhood.

MY OFFICE

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on Church Road. The Richardson ISD board voted instead to build an elementary school at Walnut Hill and White Rock Trail on land zoned for commercial use that McGough says needs a deed restriction removed before the district can proceed with construction. The district disagrees.

“I thought that on a project like this, we would work together,” McGough says. He says he will do his best to “determine what my community and the people I represent are wanting,” and “if RISD has not convinced the people who are reaching out to me that that’s not the best location and right location and in the best interest of the kids, then I think they have more work to do.”

The conflicts aren’t deflating him. Quite the opposite. This is where his background in mediation and dispute resolution come to the forefront.

“I love getting into some of these contentious things,” he says. “I believe you can come up with something better than what others have thought of if you have parties willing to engage in the process.”

He calls it “confident humility I absolutely believe we can work this out but I have no idea how we’re going to get there yet.”

Whether he can unite the broader Lake Highlands area “us” and “them” remains to be seen, but McGough says he is up to the challenge.

“The ugliness of the campaign helped me in ways I never expected,” McGough says. “I am what I am, I’m going to do what I’m going to do, I’m going to work as hard as I can, and maybe people will come around, maybe they won’t.”

PEOPLE

At just 16 years old, Steffen Banta recently won two gold medals at the 2016 Europa Supershow at the Dallas Convention Center. Banta just started Jiu-Jitsu four months ago at RCJ Machado Jiu-Jitsu.

EDUCATION

Jeannie Stone , former deputy superintendent of Richardson ISD, accepted the role of interim superintendent. Stone says, “I’m honored and humbled by this opportunity, and ready for the challenge. While I’ve only been in the district for one school year, I feel like I’ve been part of the RISD family for much longer.” Stone served as acting superintendent when Kay Waggoner retired in April.

Pete Grieder , wrestling coach and teacher at Lake Highlands High School, retired to become a teacher at Bishop Lynch High School. In an interview, Grieder said, “Whoever said that Lake Highlands has a small town feel was correct. We never felt like we lived in a big city, but in a small town where everyone knew each other.” While at Lake Highlands, Grieder earned RISD Coach of the Year, was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and was presented the Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award. A community send-off for Grieder is set for Aug. 5 from 6-10 p.m. at Ozona Grill on Greenville. Bishop Lynch High School alum and former St. Marks and Frisco Centennial coach Kevin Wainscott will replace Grieder.

Few education trends are hotter right now than school gardens and now, the students at Highland Meadows Elementary Schoo l are getting in on the action with a newly built outdoor classroom thanks to REAL School Gardens and local Bank of America associates. Volunteers prepped the ground, planted a variety of flowers and vegetables and added a pergola for shade, giving the students a new place to learn and grow when they return to school.

DALLAS ACADEMY

950 Tiffany Way, Dallas 75218 / 214.324.1481 / dallas-academy.com Founded in 1965, Dallas Academy’s mission is to restore the promise of full academic enrichment to students with learning differences in grades 1-12. A meaningful connection with each student is established to overcome barriers to success. Dallas Academy offers students an effective program and strategies to meet the special educational needs of bright students with learning differences, while including the activities of a larger, more traditional school. Classes are small, with a student-teacher ratio of 6 to 1 where students are encouraged, praised, and guided toward achieving their goals. Diagnostic testing is available to students throughout the community.

HIGHLANDER SCHOOL

9120 Plano Rd. Dallas / 214.348.3220 / www.highlanderschool.com Founded in 1966, Highlander offers an enriched curriculum in a positive, Christian-based environment. By limiting class size, teachers are able to build a strong educational foundation to ensure confidence in academics, athletics, and the creative and performing arts. Highlander offers a “classic” education which cannot be equaled. Monthly tours offered; call for a reservation.

HOLY TRINITY CATHOLIC SCHOOL

3815 Oak Lawn Ave., Dallas 214-526-5113, htcsdallas.org For more than 100 years, Holy Trinity Catholic School, has been committed to the religious, intellectual, emotional, social and physical growth of each student. This commitment is carried out in a nurturing atmosphere with an emphasis on social awareness, service to others, and religious faith in the Catholic tradition.

The Immaculate Heart Program at Holy Trinity School was initiated to fully realize our school’s mission of developing the whole child by meeting the needs of one of the most underserved and underperforming groups in catholic schools, children with dyslexia.

KESSLER SCHOOL

Pre K – 6th Grade / 1215 Turner Ave, Dallas TX 75208 / 214-942-2220 / www. thekesserschool.com The Kessler School offers an innovative academic environment that gives students a solid foundation, confidence, and a love of learning. Located just minutes from downtown Dallas; The Kessler School’s mission is to “educate the whole child,” and provides an individualized approach to teaching – meeting the student where their needs are. Students are educated socially through community time, physically through daily PE, academically through a wellrounded curriculum, and spiritually through a fostering of awareness and individual growth.

LAKEHILL PREPARATORY SCHOOL

Leading to Success. 2720 Hillside Dr., Dallas 75214 / 214.826.2931 / lakehillprep. org Kindergarten through Grade 12Lakehill Preparatory School takes the word preparatory in its name very seriously. Throughout a student’s academic career, Lakehill builds an educational program that achieves its goal of enabling graduates to attend the finest, most rigorous universities of choice. Lakehill combines a robust, college-preparatory curriculum with opportunities for personal growth, individual enrichment, and community involvement. From kindergarten through high school, every Lakehill student is encouraged to strive, challenged to succeed, and inspired to excel.

SPANISH HOUSE

Four East Dallas Locations / 214.826.4410/ DallasSpanishHouse.com

Spanish Immersion Program in East Dallas! Nursery, Preschool, Elementary and Adult Programs available. Our new K-5 Dual-Language Elementary School will be open for the 2016-2017 school year at 7159 E. Grand Avenue. Please visit our website (DallasSpanishHouse.com) or call 214.826.4410 for a tour.

WHITE ROCK NORTH SCHOOL

9727 White Rock Trail Dallas / 214.348.7410 / WhiteRockNorthSchool. com 6 Weeks through 6th Grade. Our accelerated curriculum provides opportunity for intellectual and physical development in a loving and nurturing environment. Character-building and civic responsibility are stressed. Facilities include indoor swimming pool, skating rink, updated playground, and state-ofthe-art technology lab. Kids Club on the Corner provides meaningful after-school experiences. Summer Camp offers field trips, swimming, and a balance of indoor and outdoor activities designed around fun-filled themes. Accredited by SACS. Call for a tour of the campus.

ZION LUTHERAN SCHOOL

6121 E. Lovers Ln. Dallas / 214.363.1630 / ziondallas. org Toddler care thru 8th Grade. Serving Dallas for over 58 years offering a quality education in a Christ-centered learning environment. Degreed educators minister to the academic, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of students and their families. Before and after school programs, Extended Care, Parents Day Out, athletics, fine arts, integrated technology, Spanish, outdoor education, Accelerated Reader, advanced math placement, and student government. Accredited by National Lutheran School & Texas District Accreditation Commissions and TANS. Contact Principal Jeff Thorman.

DALLAS’ CHARACTER REVEALED

WORSHIP

ANGLICAN

ALL SAINTS EAST DALLAS / allsaintseastdallas.org

Sunday worship service at 5:00 pm

Meeting at Central Lutheran Church / 1000 Easton Road

BAPTIST

LAKESIDE BAPTIST / 9150 Garland Rd / 214.324.1425

Sunday School 9:15am & Worship 10:30am

Pastor Jeff Donnell / www.lbcdallas.com

PARK CITIES BAPTIST CHURCH / 3933 Northwest Pky / pcbc.org

Worship & Bible Study 9:15 & 10:45 Traditional, Contemporary, Spanish Speaking / 214.860.1500

WILSHIRE BAPTIST / 4316 Abrams / 214.452.3100

Pastor George A. Mason Ph.D. / Worship 8:30 & 11:00 am

Bible Study 9:40 am / www.wilshirebc.org

BIBLE CHURCHES

NORTH HIGHLANDS BIBLE CHURCH / nhbc.net / 9626 Church Rd.

Sun: LifeQuest 9:00 am / Worship 10:30 am / 214.348.9697

Wed: AWANA and Kids Choir 6:00 pm / Student Ministry 7:00 pm

DISCIPLES OF CHRIST

EAST DALLAS CHRISTIAN CHURCH / 629 N. Peak Street / 214.824.8185

Sunday School 9:30 am / Worship 8:30 am - Chapel

10:50 am - Sanctuary / Rev. Deborah Morgan-Stokes / edcc.org

LUTHERAN

CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, ELCA / 1000 Easton Road

Sunday School for all ages 9:00 am / Worship Service 10:30 am

Pastor Rich Pounds / CentralLutheran.org / 214.327.2222

FIRST UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH / 6202 E Mockingbird Ln.

Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am / Call for class schedule. 214.821.5929 / www.dallaslutheran.org

METHODIST

LAKE HIGHLANDS UMC / 9015 Plano Rd. / 214.348.6600 / lhumc.com

Sunday Morning: 9:30 am Sunday School / 10:30 am Coffee

Worship: 8:30 am & 11:00 am Traditional / 11:00 am Contemporary

PRESBYTERIAN

LAKE HIGHLANDS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 214.348.2133

8525 Audelia Road at NW Hwy. / www.lhpres.org

9:00 am Contemporary, 9:55 am Christian Ed., 11:00 am Traditional

NORTHRIDGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 6920 Bob-O-Link Dr. 214.827.5521 / www.northridgepc.org / Welcomes you to Worship

Summer Worship 10:00 am / Childcare provided. All are welcome!

UNITY

UNITY OF DALLAS / A Positive Path for Spiritual Living

6525 Forest Lane, Dallas, TX 75230 / 972.233.7106 / UnityDallas.org

Sundays: 9:00 am Early Service, 11:00 am Celebration Service

Dallas took a sucker punch in the gut with the hate-inspired, racially motivated murder of five police officers. We were knocked down, but not knocked out.

Character is not made in crisis; it is revealed. As the ubiquitous hashtag puts it, we are #DallasStrong.

But why? Dallas has been hard at work in recent years facing its lingering heritage of racism and inequality. The usual way of dealing with these things is to deny they exist, claim they aren’t really that bad, blame a few bad apples, or just whitewash things in order to keep the fiction alive that all is well if we just adopt Pollyanna’s mantra of playing the Glad game.

No, the problems run too deep to wish them away or simply to say that what our ancestors or predecessors did was then, but we are not responsible now. We have begun instead the painful but liberating process of acknowledging that we are all heirs of America’s original sin of slavery. We have begun to see the folly of denying our complicity in systems of law, education, business and neighborliness that have masked a prejudice that favors some and alienates others.

Dallas Police Chief David Brown’s courageous leadership of a department has led to a fiveyear decrease of 64 percent in citizen complaints of the police’s excessive use of force and a falling murder rate. He hasn’t flinched in his resolve to create respect and trust between law enforcement and the community,

especially the sub-communities of color.

We have a mayor in Mike Rawlings and a City Council determined to see the city as a whole, and thereby they have been making the city whole. We have heard our mayor at long last apologize to Latinos for the murder of 12-year-old Santos Rodriquez 40 years ago by the Dallas police. We have seen Dallas Faces Race become an ongoing public conversation. We have seen the Council and the Dallas Morning News focus on building bridges between northern and southern Dallas that were not designed by Santiago Calatrava but by the good will of the human heart.

We’ve seen churches and pastors — black and white — partnering in friendship and action. We’ve seen Christians, Jews and Muslims listening to and learning from one another rather than shouting at one another or “othering” one another. There is no other; there is only one another.

Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote in his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” these prescient words:

“In a real sense all life is interrelated. All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be.”

We have work to do still. Plenty. But this tragedy has called out our best in the face of the worst.

Keep calm and carry on, Dallas.

George Mason is pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church. The Worship section is underwritten by Advocate Publishing and the neighborhood businesses and churches listed here. For information about helping support the Worship section, call 214.560.4202.

BUSINESS BUZZ

WHAT’S UP WITH NEIGHBORHOOD BUSINESSES

REAL ESTATE

Houston-based homebuilder DAVID

WEEKLY HOMES requested a zoning amendment to build 17 new townhomes on a 1.9 acre-tract west of Skillman and south of Church. David Weekly Homes also is working on 52 homes south of the Lake Highlands Town Center, 40 homes in the Cedars, 53 homes in Oak Cliff and five or six other developments in the suburbs.

NOW OPEN

On June 27, local father Francisco “Frank” Salinas opened FRANK’S TACO GRILL on Greenville near Park Lane. A restaurant veteran himself, Salinas says the grill will offer a different presentation of tacos. “[We’re] focusing a great deal on working people. When you have kids, you get tired of fast food, but then you go to restaurants, and you find you’re paying too much. We’re shooting to be there in the middle — better than fast food but price points that aren’t going to break you,” he says. Frank’s also is open for breakfast and offers catering.

More than a year after it was first announced, LAKE HIGHLANDS CREAMERY has finally opened, bringing a sweet spot to the neighborhood. The new business shares an entryway with Atomic Pie in the Lakeridge Village Shopping Center, 9660 Audelia Road, suite 121. You can grab a scoop 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; and 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

ROCKING BOBBIN, a custom quilt shop with all the bobbles needed for sewing projects, is now open on Skillman near I-635. On its website, Rocking Bobbin is described as “a welcoming and supportive environment where sewing and quilting enthusiasts of all skill levels can take advantage of a wide range of classes and social events.”

REAL ESTATE REPORT

area home values

FOR THE LOVE OF THE POLICE

Our city’s collective heart broke in July when four Dallas police officers and a DART officer were killed while on patrol at a Black Lives Matter rally, where another nine officers and two civilians were shot by a lone gunman. In response, Boy Scout Troop 707, sponsored by our neighborhood Elks Lodge, wanted local police to feel the love every time they drive to and from the northeast substation on Northwest Highway at Audelia, so they lined the roadway with more than 700 American flags. Here, Jerry Reddy and Fred Schmelling prepare the flags to be placed. Visit advocatemag.com to see video and more images from the day.

CLASSES/TUTORING/ LESSONS

ART: Draw/Paint. Adults All Levels. Lake Highlands N. Rec. Ctr. Days: Mon & Wed. Students bring supplies. Nights: 1xt month workshop, supplies furnished. Jane Cross. 214-534-6829,

CREATIVE ARTS CENTER More than 500 adult art classes/ workshops from metal to mosaic! www.creativeartscenter.org

FARMERS BRANCH AQUATICS CENTER Visit our new natatorium. Begin swim, fitness classes & open swim. fbh2o.com

EMPLOYMENT

PET SITTERS, DOG WALKERS reply to http://www.pcpsi.com/join

SERVICES FOR YOU

AT ODDS WITH YOUR COMPUTER? Easily Learn Essential Skills. Services include Digital Photo Help. Sharon 214-679-9688

COMPUTER HELP! Viruses, Data Recovery, Upgrades, WiFi Problems, Onsite Tech. 214-533-6216 WebersComputers.com

CONFUSED? FRUSTRATED? Let A Seasoned Pro Be The Interface Between You & That Pesky Windows Computer. Hardware & Software Installation, Troubleshooting, Training. $60/hr. 1 hr min. Dan 214-660-3733 / stykidan@sbcglobal.net

LICENSED PHYCHOLOGIST Academic, behavioral, ADHD, emotional testing. Children, adolescents, adults. Therapy. Dr. Katherine Pang 214-531-7624 lighthousepsychtesting.com

NEIGHBORHOOD ENERGY EXPERT Helps you earn rewards for free energy, travel points & more. Call Elaine today for a free electric bill review. 214-500-3667 Make the Switch & Save!

LEGAL SERVICES

A FREE CONSULTATION Wills/Probate/Guardianships. MaryGlennAttorney.com 214-802-6768

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

ACCOUNTING, TAXES Small Businesses & Individuals. Chris King, CPA 214-824-5313 www.chriskingcpa.com

BOOKKEEPING NEEDS? Need Help Organizing Finances? No Job Too Small or Big. Call C.A.S. Bookkeeping Services. Cindy 214-577-7450

PROPERTY TAX PROTEST laurenmedel.com. 972-773-9306 Mobile. SEO Friendly. Maintainable.

NEED A NEW WEBSITE? AdvocateWebDesign.com 214.292.2053

MIND, BODY & SPIRIT

OAKCLIFF-LMT.COM Between Kessler & Stevens Park. Swedish & deep tissue massage. LMT Renee, 214-704-8193.

PET SERVICES

DOGGIE DEN DALLAS Daycare, Boarding, Grooming, Training. 6444 E. Mockingbird Ln. 214-823-1441 DoggieDenDallas.com

POOP SCOOP PROFESSIONALS Trust The Experts. 214-826-5009. germaine_free@yahoo.com

PET SERVICES Society Pet Sitter,Inc.

BUY/SELL/TRADE

DONATE YOUR CAR FOR BREAST CANCER Help United Breast Foundation education, prevention, support programs. Fast free pickup. 24 Hour response. Tax deduction. 855-403-0213

RANGERS, STARS & MAVS

Share front-row Texas Rangers, Stars & Mavs seats. Tickets are available in sets of 10 games (sets of 2 or 4 tickets per game available). Participants randomly draw numbers prior to season to determine a draft order fair to everyone. Call 214-560-4212 or rwamre@advocatemag.com

ESTATE/GARAGE SALES

CLUTTERBLASTERS.COM

Estate Sales, Moving & DownSizing Sales. Since 2001. Ph/Txt Donna 972-679-3100

ORGANIZEANDREJUVENATE.COM

Declutter/Files/Feng Shui. 972-816-8004

OVERWHELMED? CALL All Points: “A Solutions Company” AllPointsEstateServices.com • 214-802-2781

WANT TO MAKE MONEY? Richardson Mercantile is looking for dealers who want to join one of the best antique malls in DFW. Need details? Go to richardsonmercantile@gmail.com

AC & HEAT

WINDOW AC TUNE UP Repair, Cleaning, Etc. Buy/Sell 214-321-5943

Family Owned & Operated

Serving

We

972-274-2157

www.CrestAirAndHeat.com

APPLIANCE REPAIR

JESSE’S A/C & APPLIANCE SERVICE

TACLB13304C All Makes/Models. 214-660-8898

CLEANING SERVICES

CLEAN FREAKS Since 2005. Free Estimates. DallasCleanFreaks.com Call Today! 214-821-8888

MESS MASTERS Earth friendly housecleaning. 469-235-7272. www.messmasters.com Since ‘91

TWO SISTERS & A MOP Move in/Out. Reliable/Dependable 20 Yrs Exp. 214-283-9732

twosistersamopmaidservice.com

WANTED: HOUSES TO CLEAN Great Prices $$. Family owned business. 15 years exp. Reliable. Excellent Refs. Call Sunny @ 214-724-2555

WINDOW MAN WINDOW CLEANING.COM

Residential Specialists. BBB. 214-718-3134

COMPUTERS & ELECTRONICS

BILL’S COMPUTER REPAIR

Virus Removal, Data Recovery. Home/Biz Network Install. All Upgrades & Repairs. PC Instruction. No Trip Fee. 214-348-2566

CONCRETE/MASONRY/ PAVING

Serving your Neighborhood Since 1993

Repairing: Refrigerators •Washer/Dryers

• Ice Makers •Stoves • Cooktops • Ovens 214✯823✯2629

CABINETRY & FURNITURE

SQUARE NAIL WOODWORKING

Cabinet Refacing, Custom Built-ins and Entertainment/ Computer Centers.

Full Kitchen and Bath Remodels.

For information, contact Jim @ 214-324-7398

Licensed Contractor proudly serving Lakewood/ East Dallas since 1995 squarenailwoodworking.com Visa/MC accptd.

CLEANING SERVICES

A MAID FOR YOU Bonded/Insured.Park Cities/ M Streets Refs. Call Us First. Joyce 214-232-9629

AFFORDABLE CLEANING Insd./Bonded. Move In/Out. Routine Cleaning. Reliable. Dependable.

Residential/ Commercial. References. 28+yrs. Delta Cleaning. 972-943-9280.

AFFORDABLE, PROFESSIONAL CLEANING

$100 off 1st clean for new weekly/bi-weekly clients. Staff trained by Nationally Certified Cleaning Tech. Chemical-free, Green, or Traditional Cleaning. WindsorMaidServices.com 214-381-MAID (6243)

ALTOGETHER CLEAN

Relax ...We’ll Clean Your House, It Will Be Your Favorite Day! Bonded & Insurance. Free Estimates. 214-929-8413. www. altogetherclean.net

AMAZON CLEANING

Top To Bottom Clean. Fabiana.469-951-2948

CINDY’S HOUSE CLEANING 15 yrs exp. Resd/Com. Refs. Dependable. 214-490-0133

ELECTRICAL SERVICES

LAKEWOOD ELECTRICAL Local. Insured. Lic. #227509 Call Rylan 214-434-8735

TEXAS ELECTRICAL • 214-289-0639

Prompt, Honest, Quality. TECL 24668

TH ELECTRIC Reasonable Rates. Licensed & Insured. Ted. E257 214-808-3658

WHITE ROCK ELECTRIC All Electrical Services. Lic/Insd. E795. 214-850-4891

EXTERIOR CLEANING

G&G DEMOLITION Tear downs, Haul. Interior/Exterior. 214-808-8925

FENCING & DECKS

#1 COWBOY FENCE & IRON CO. Est. ‘91. 214-692-1991 www.cowboyfenceandiron.com

4 QUALITY FENCING Call Mike 214-507-9322 Specializing in Wood, New or Repair.

AMBASSADOR FENCE INC. EST. 96 Automatic Gates, Fences/Decks, ambassadorfenceco.com 214-621-3217

FENCING & WOODWORK oldgatefence.com charliehookerswoodwork.com 214-766-6422

FLOORING & CARPETING

Restoration Flooring

Hardwood Installation · Hand Scraping Sand & Finish · Dustless

ALL CONCRETE RESTORATION & Decorative Designs. Staining 214-916-8368

BRICK & STONE REPAIR

Tuck Pointing / Crack Repair. Mortar Color Matching. Windows,Doors, Cracks Etc. Don 214-704-1722

BRICK, BLOCK, Stone, Concrete, Stucco. Gonzalez Masonry. 214-395-1319

BRICK, STONEWORK, FLAGSTONE PATIOS Mortar Repair. Straighten Brick Mailboxes & Columns. Call Cirilo 214-298-7174

CONCRETE REPAIRS/REPOURS

Demo existing. Stamping and Staining Driveways/Patio/Walkways

Pattern/Color available

Free Estimates 972-672-5359 (36 yrs.)

CONCRETE, Driveway Specialist Repairs, Replacement, Removal, References. Reasonable. Chris 214-770-5001

EDMONDSPAVING.COM Asphalt & Concrete Driveway-Sidewalk-Patio-Repair 214-957-3216

FLAGSTONE PATIOS, Retaining Walls, BBQ’s, Veneer, Flower Bed Edging, All Stone work. Chris 214-770-5001

ELECTRICAL SERVICES

ANTHONY’S ELECTRIC Master Electrician. TECL24948 anthonyselectricofdallas.com

50 Yrs. Electrical Exp. Insd. 214-328-1333

BRIGHT LIGHT ELECTRIC • 214-553-5333

TECL 31347 Lighting and Electrical Services

EXPERIENCED LICENSED ELECTRICIAN Insd. Steve. TECL#27297 214-718-9648

HANNAWOODWORKS.COM

Decks, Pergolas, Patio Covers. 214-435-9574

KIRKWOOD FENCE & DECK

New & Repair. Free Estimates. Nathan Kirkwood. 214-341-0699

LONESTARDECKS.COM 214-357-3975

Trex Decking & Fencing, trex.com

All Wood Decks, Arbors & Patio Covers 214.692.1991

EST. 1991 #1 SPECIALIZING IN Wood Fences &Auto Gates

COWBOY

cowboyfenceandiron.com

Northlake Fence and Deck

Locally owned and operated by the Mccaffrey family since1980

214-349-9132

www.northlakefence.com

FLOORING & CARPETING

ALL WALKS OF FLOORS 214-616-7641

Carpet, Wood, Tile Sales/Service Free Estimates

HASTINGS STAINED CONCRETE

New/Remodel. Stain/Wax Int/Ext. Nick. 214-341-5993. www.hastingsfloors.com

469.774.3147

restorationflooring.net

25+ Years Experience Willeford hardwood floors

Superior Quality: Installation • Refinishing Repair Cleaning & Waxing

Old World Hand Scrape 214-824-1166

FOUNDATION REPAIR

OPTIMUM FOUNDATION SERVICES

Reliable, cost-effective foundation repair. We are dedicated foundation specialists who bring customized solutions. Free estimates and transferable warranties. Contact us for an easy, no-obligation consultation. 214-500-0351 Info@optimumfoundationservices.com

• Slabs • Pier & Beam

• Mud Jacking • Drainage

• Free Estimates

• Over 20 Years Exp. 972-288-3797

We Answer Our Phones

GARAGE SERVICES

GARAGE DOORS & OPENERS 972-521-6567. install, Repair, Service, Sales.

ROCKET GARAGE DOOR SERVICE - 24/7. Repairs/Installs. 214-533-8670. Coupon On Web. www.RocketDoorService.com

UNITED GARAGE DOORS AND GATES Res/Com. Locally Owned.214-826-8096

GLASS, WINDOWS & DOORS

EAST DALLAS WINDOW CLEANING Power Wash. Free Est. Dependable. Derek. 214-360-0120

LAKE HIGHLANDS GLASS & MIRROR frameless shower enclosures • store fronts replacement windows • mirrors 214-349-8160

ROCK GLASS CO Replace, repair: windows, mirrors, showers, screens. 214-837-7829

HANDYMAN SERVICES

A R&G HANDYMAN Electrical, Plumbing, Painting, Fencing, Roofing, Light Hauling. Ron or Gary 214-622-7488, 469-878-8044

ALL STAR HOME CARE Carpentry, Glass, Tile, Paint, Doors, Sheetrock Repair, and more. 25 yrs. exp. References. Derry 214-505-4830

HANDYMAN SERVICES

BO HANDYMAN Specializing In Historic Home Renovations & Pro Remodels. Custom Carpentry, Doors, Kitchens, Baths & more. 214-437-9730

G & P HANDYMAN Plumbing, AC, Electrical, Painting, Roofing, Fix Appliances. 214-576-6824

HANDY DAN The Handyman. ToDo’s Done Right. handy-dan.com 214-252-1628

HANDYMAN SPECIALIST Residential/

Commercial. Large, small jobs, repair list, renovations. Refs. 214-489-0635

HOMETOWN

construction.

HONEST, SKILLED

General Repairs/ Your Home Repair Specialists

Drywall Doors

Senior Safety

Carpentry

KITCHEN/BATH/ TILE/GROUT

TK REMODELING 972-533-2872

Complete Full Service Repairs, Remodeling, Restoration. Name It — We do it. Tommy. Insured. dallas.tkremodelingcontractors.com

TOM HOLT TILE 30 Yrs Experience In Tile, Backsplashes & Floors. Refs. Avail. 214-770-3444

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

AYALA’S LANDSCAPING SERVICE

Call the Land Expert Today! Insured. 214-773-4781

CHUPIK TREE SERVICE

Trim, Remove, Stump Grind. Free Est. Insured. 214-823-6463

DALLAS K.D.R.SERVICES • 214-349-0914

Lawn Service & Landscape Installation

Did you know heat can cause your computer to run slow?

Keeping your computer in tip top shape with these tips:

1. Antivirus software is the best defense against a virus.

2. Use an old toothbrush to clean around the exhaust fan.

3. Avoid exposure to rapid temperature changes.

4. Use and store your computer in a well-ventilated area.

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

• locally

Small & Odd Jobs

HandymanMatters.com/dallas

And More! 972-308-6035

Bonded & Insured. Locally owned & operated.

HOUSE PAINTING

1 AFFORDABLE HOUSE PAINTING and Home Repair. Quality work.

Inside and Out. Free Ests. Local Refs. Ron 972-816-5634

A+ INT/EXT PAINT & DRYWALL

Since 1977. Kirk Evans. 972-672-4681

BENJAMIN’S PAINTING SERVICE Professional Work At Reasonable Prices. 214-725-6768

MANNY’S HOME PAINTING & REMODEL Int./Ext. Sheetrock. Manny 214-334-2160

OAK CLIFF PAINT MASTERS Interior & Exterior - Free quote at no obligation 214-650-3981

RAMON’S INT/EXT PAINT Sheetrock, Repairs. 214-679-4513

TOP COAT 30 yrs. exp. Reliable, Quality Repair/Remodel Phil @ 214-770-2863

VIP PAINTING & DRYWALL Int/Ext. Sheetrock Repair, Resurfacing Tubs, Counters, Tile Repairs. 469-774-7111

KITCHEN/BATH/TILE/ GROUT

BLAKE CONSTRUCTION CONCEPTS LLC

Complete Kitchen And Bath Remodels. Tile, Granite, Marble, Travertine, Slate. Insured. 214-563-5035 www.blake-construction.com

FENN CONSTRUCTION Full Service Contractor. dallastileman.com 214-343-4645

MELROSE TILE James Sr., Installer, Repairs. 40 Yrs. Exp. MelroseTile.com 214-384-6746

STONE AGE COUNTER TOPS Granite, Marble, Tile, Kitchen/Bath Remodels. 972-276-9943.stoneage.dennis@verizon.net

KITCHEN/BATH/ TILE/GROUT

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

HOLMAN IRRIGATION

Sprinkler & Valve Repair/ Rebuild Older Systems. Lic. #1742. 214-398-8061

LIGHT IT UP DALLAS

Your lighting specialists. 972-591-8383

Parties, Weddings, Patios, Landscape.

LSI LAWN SPRINKLERS “Making Water Work”

Irrigation system Service & Repair. Specializing In Older Copper Systems. LI #13715. 214-283-4673

• Tubs, Tiles or Sinks

• Cultured Marble

• Kitchen Countertops

214-631-8719

LAWNS,

&

#1 WHITE ROCK TREE WIZARDS Professionals, Experts, Artists. Trim, Remove, Cabling, Bracing/Bolting. Cavity-Fill Stump Grind. Emergencies, Hazards. Insd. Free Est. 972-803-6313. arborwizard.com

A BETTER TREE MAN Trims, Removals, Insd. 12 Yrs Exp. Roberts Tree Service. 214-808-8925

A&B LANDSCAPING Degreed Horticulturist. Landscape & Stone Work. 214-538-9625

ORTIZ LAWNCARE Complete Yard Care. Service by Felipe. Free Est. 214-215-3599

TRACY’S LAWN CARE • 972-329-4190

Lawn Mowing & Leaf Cleaning

U R LAWN CARE Maintenance. Landscaping. Your Personal Yard Service by Uwe Reisch uwereisch@yahoo.com 214-886-9202

YOUR TREES could look like a WORK OF ART, I Guarantee It.

AUGUST SPECIAL $200 OFF 4 man crew/4 hours

Just Trees

Call Mark Wittlich 214-332-3444

PLUMBING

A2Z PLUMBING 214-727-4040

All Plumbing Repairs. Slab Leak Specialists. Licensed & Insured. ML# M36843.

AC PLUMBING Repairs, Fixtures, Senior Discounts. Gary Campbell. 214-321-5943

ANDREWS PLUMBING • 214-354-8521

# M37740 Insured. Any plumbing issues. plumberiffic69@gmail.com

Sewers • Drains • Bonded 24 Hours/7 Days

*Joe Faz 469-346-1814 - Se Habla Español*

ARRIAGA PLUMBING: General Plumbing

Since the 80’s. Insured. Lic# M- 20754 214-321-0589, 214-738-7116, CC’s accepted.

HAYES PLUMBING INC. Repairs.

Insured, 214-343-1427 License M13238

M&S PLUMBING Quality Work & Prompt Service. Jerry. 214-235-2172. lic.#M-11523

NTX PLUMBING SPEC. LLLP 214-226-0913

Lic. M-40581 Res/Com. Repairs & Leak Location

214-328-7371

MetroFlowPlumbing.com

Lic.# M16620

POOLS

LEAFCHASERS POOL SERVICE Parts/Service. Chemicals/Repairs. Jonathan. 214-729-3311

REMODELING

BLAKE CONSTRUCTION CONCEPTS, LLC Complete Remodeling, Kitchens, Baths, Additions. Hardie Siding & Replacement Windows. Build On Your Own Lot. Insured. www.blake-construction.com 214-563-5035

BO HANDYMAN Specializing In Historic Home Renovations & Pro Remodels. Custom Carpentry, Doors, Kitchens, Baths & more. 214-437-9730

FENN CONSTRUCTION Full Service Contractor. dallastileman.com 214-343-4645

O’BRIEN GROUP INC. Remodeling Dallas For Over 17 Years www.ObrienGroupInc.com 214-341-1448

RENOVATE DALLAS renovatedallas.com 214-403-7247

ROOFING & GUTTERS

GUARDIAN ROOFING & SOLAR

1995

Jeff Godsey Roofing

Roof Repair Specialist

• Exterior Repair & Re-Roofing

• Insurance Claims

• Custom Chimney Caps

30+ Yrs. in Business • Major Additions Complete Renovations • Kitchens/Baths

214-341-1155

bobmcdonaldco.net

Bob McDonald Company, Inc. BUILDERS/REMODELERS Chandler Design Group Design / Build / Renovate we'll turn your vision into reality

Heath Chandler 214.938.8242

• Licensed & Fully Insured Jeff Godsey 214-502-7287 Residential • Commercial (214) 503-7663

Video of the incident was circulated nationwide, from the Austin American-Statesman to the New York Daily News, but the man who attacked a 62-year-old employee at Burger King in the Hamilton Park area of Lake Highlands has not been apprehended. Dallas Police say the man walked into the Burger King at Central Expressway and Forest Lane and ordered a milkshake from Alejandra Estrada, working behind the counter. Estrada told police the man complained about the shake and demanded something else. She served him two other drinks, she says, before he began throwing things and threatening to kill her. Surveillance footage shows the man jumping over the counter and chasing her into the back of the restaurant, where he repeatedly punched her, according to Estrada. Following the incident, Estrada said she was fearful of returning to work, afraid the man might return.

Robberies, one in Vickery Meadow on Melody Lane on June 30, and one in Fort Worth where the suspect allegedly stole a fireman’s wallet from a fire station

Age of suspect

Matthew Paul Rounsaville

Source: Dallas Police Department

DALLAS STRONG

OUR CITY CANNOT BE TORN APART BY THE ACTIONS OF ONE

The playground was nearly empty and the sun had almost set when my 4-year-old daughter ran over to me and began digging around in my purse, searching for something I was about to lose.

She gleefully pulled out a tiny can of hairspray. “Momma, pretend like you lost something and I’ll find it for you,” she instructed, running off with my lost object.

“And who are you?” I called after her.

She looked back and grinned, “I’m a police officer.”

For the next 20 minutes, until we completely lost the light, Dallas’ tiniest cop assisted an exceedingly forgetful and disorganized woman in tracking down her hairspray, her wallet, two quarters and some gum.

That was Friday evening, the day after 14 police officers were shot — five of them killed — in downtown Dallas. My daughter knew nothing of the tragedy, yet here she was, beautifully imagining the role of a police officer as someone who aids and protects.

And so it was in Dallas when shots rang out at an otherwise peaceful protest.

This month, I had planned to share with you my thoughts about the proposed privatization of Fair Park, or maybe outline the new transportation ideas presented in TxDOT’s CityMAP. I even thought about discussing the

upcoming city budget process or reflecting on the hunt for a new city manager. But all of that seems very trivial right now.

As I write this, it’s four days after a protest rally turned tragic as a lone gunman took the lives of Senior Cpl. Lorne Ahrens, Sgt. Michael Smith, officers Michael Krol and Patrick Zamarripa of the Dallas Police Department, and officer Brent Thompson of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Police Department. Part of what is so shocking and heartbreaking is that despite our city’s history of segregation and racism — or perhaps because of it — Dallas has been an exception to the recent spate of race-related police shootings.

This is not a coincidence, but a reflection of thoughtful and purposeful changes in our police department’s policies and training over the last two decades to reduce officer-involved shootings and to engage with neighborhoods, especially minority communities.

Here’s what those policies have wrought: The weekend following the shooting, some Black Lives Matters protesters gathered near NorthPark Center while counter-protesters in cowboy hats and Confederate flags gathered across the street. But instead of more violence and anger, the leaders of the groups came together, hugged each other, and prayed together.

And this: When the sniper began firing on police, a woman who had attended the Black Lives Matter event was shot in the leg. She laid on top of her 15-year-old son as chaos erupted around them. Dallas police officers

rushed over to the mother and son, covering them with their own bodies to shield them from the barrage of bullets. Recovering at the hospital, the woman recounted how her son had always wanted to be a police officer.

And perhaps most importantly: Moments before the gunman opened fire, Black Lives Matter protesters were chatting with Dallas cops, taking pictures and shaking hands. No tear gas and riot gear. Just our wonderful Dallas Police officers doing exactly what my 4-year-old imagines they do: protecting Dallas citizens and ensuring our right not only to speak freely, but to assemble peaceably.

Dallas police officers rushed over to the mother and son, covering them with their own bodies to shield them from the barrage of bullets.

So no, our city will not be torn apart by this unconscionable crime. Dallas has been a national leader in confronting an ugly legacy of racism and reshaping our police department in response to past injustices. Elsewhere in our country, a binary debate rages on, pitting those who support Black Lives Matter against those who support the police. But Dallas has proven that there are no sides, that supporting a policing policy that protects and serves all Dallas citizens while honoring our men and women in blue can be one and the same.

That is the legacy of the five officers who died protecting our city.

ANGELA HUNT is a former Dallas city councilwoman. She writes a monthly opinion column about neighborhood issues. Her opinions are not necessarily those of the Advocate or its management. Send comments and ideas to her ahunt@advocatemag.com.

We are proud of the fact that we are business-minded mamas. We work tirelessly for our clients, family and community, and always do the right thing. We look forward to the opportunity to serve all your real estate needs.