2016 June Lakewood

Buying and selling a home can be complicated. Fortunately, there’s an Ebby Halliday REALTOR ® to help lead you through the process. We’ve been your trusted resource in the area for more than 70 years. We’re proud of our deep roots in Lakewood and East Dallas.

Dr Michael McGuiness Karen Adams PA-C

Dr Natalie Wright

CARUTH HILLS 7414 VILLANOVA STREET

$1,599,000

4 Bed | 3.3 Bath | 6,528 Sq.Ft. Philip Peter & Hayley Harvey-Peter 214.799.9087 | philip.peter@alliebeth.com

LAKEWOOD 6664 YOSEMITE LANE

$787,000

4 Bed | 3 Bath | 2,672 Sq.Ft. Annamari Lannon | 214.558.1224 annamari.lannon@alliebeth.com

MUNGER PLACE 5110 JUNIUS STREET

$649,000

2 Bed Each | 1 Bath Each | Duplex Pam Dyer | 214.906.9685 pam.dyer@alliebeth.com

MOCKINGBIRD HILL 6716 BLESSING DRIVE $589,900

3 Bed | 2 Bath | 2,310 Sq.Ft.

Sabrina Bell | 214.707.1780 sabrina.bell@alliebeth.com

LAKEWOOD 2616 PASADENA PLACE $529,000 | 3 Bed | 2 Bath | 1,921 Sq.Ft Lakewood Elementary | 62 x 180 Lot Susan Bradley | 214.674.5518 susan.bradley@alliebeth.com

LAKEWOOD 6653 YOSEMITE LANE $525,000

3 Bed | 3 Bath | 2,185 Sq.Ft. Annamari Lannon | 214.558.1224 annamari.lannon@alliebeth.com

MUNGER PLACE 5207 VICTOR STREET $389,000

3 Bed | 2 Bath | 2,070 Sq.Ft.

Marsue Williams | 214.762.2108 marsue.williams@allibeth.com

JUNIUS HEIGHTS 5937 WORTH STREET

$365,000

3 Bed | 2 Bath | 2,946 Sq.Ft. Pam Dyer | 214.906.9685 pam.dyer@alliebeth.com

214.521.7355 | alliebeth.com

STONEWALL 5829 PALM LANE $359,000

3 Bed | 1 Bath | 1,301 Sq.Ft. Sally Shaw | 214.679.6402 sally.shaw@alliebeth.com

SMOKERS WELCOME

GARDEN GODS

CLAYTON’S FIRST YEAR

WILD RESCUE

Richard Iniguez at the now shuttered Guapo Skillz Center. (Photo by Danny Fulgencio)

6350 Belmont · $995,000

Vanderbilt · $1,149,000

6311

Club Lake Ct. · $1,195,000

Greentree · $1,595,000

PILLOW PROBLEMS

WHEN STAYING IN BED FEELS SO MUCH BETTER THAN FIXING THE WORLD’S AILS

Do you ever wake up and just wish you hadn’t?

I don’t mean that in a “wish you were dead” way; just a wish-you-didn’t-haveto get-out-of-bed way?

These days, there are just so many mentally tiring things going on locally and around the world. And I’m not even talking about the presidential election.

Problems arise, solutions don’t, and although most of us have become adept at looking the other way, we know in the back of our minds that we’re just ignoring things rather than solving them.

Which, to me, is just plain tiring.

While reading the Dallas Observer the other day, I had time to consume a hot dog and peanuts while elevating my blood pressure about:

The most recently dismantled Tent City illegal homeless shelter under a Downtown highway overpass. But the displaced just shuffled or carted to another underpass. Bouncing homeless people from one public nuisance site to another doesn’t make me feel warm and fuzzy about our city tax dollars and politicians at work. But wait: The mayor has appointed a task force to study the problem. Now, I feel better.

A sad story by Eric Nicholson about the state’s Child Protective Services (CPS) agency, which appears to have mismanaged a 4-year-old girl to death, among plenty of other problems. The story made a case for “professionalizing” CPS workers by paying them more and requiring them to have additional training, as opposed to hiring kids straight out of college who only last about six months on the job. About $400 million in additional funding annually would be

Rick Wamre

a good start, the writer says, and then maybe this problem of caring for kids whose parents can’t — or won’t — will go away. Until the next time.

The Oncor bankruptcy money-grab. Jim Schutze talks about what he sees as the Hunt family’s stranglehold on city and state politics and politicians. And he notes the mayor found time while solving the homeless problem to pen a note asking the Public Utility Commission to reconsider the Hunt’s proposal to purchase Oncor, the bankrupt energy provider here in North Texas. Schutze has a consistently funny way of making complicated stories both simple and depressing, because once he explains the issue, there’s rarely a good solution. Maybe not understanding the issue is better than not knowing how to solve it?

This Observer didn’t even include a story about the South Dallas woman eaten alive by a pack of wild dogs that perhaps the city should have done a better job of controlling. Maybe that will be next week’s uplifting-story-ofthe-day contribution.

I’m not blaming the Observer for any of this: When you look in a mirror, you see what you see, warts and all.

But looking in a mirror is rarely uplifting these days, what with all of the potential hair and skin and general Idon’t-like-my-face issues that never go away, no matter how much money we throw at them.

All of this is making me long for the companionship of my pillow again. I wish I could summon some energy to face these challenges, but I just can’t.

Not today.

is president of Advocate Media. Let him know how we are doing by writing to 6301 Gaston, Suite 820, Dallas 75214, or emailing rwamre@advocatemag.com.

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Advocate, © 2016, is published monthly by East Dallas Lakewood People Inc.

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WHAT YOU’RE MISSING

History: When fantastic mansions lined Ross Avenue

Toddler found wandering Reiger Avenue reunited with parents Man arrested after trying to lure two girls into his car

Here’s what happens when a councilman green lights a cheap fix

Lakewood’s Fresh Market closes at Arboretum Village

DIGITAL DIGEST THE

Kleinman calls Clayton ‘Costco killer’ after Clayton questions bailing out multi-billion dollar company

“This is really a no brainier decision. Give them the tax credit. Every city does it; it’s called “economic development” and it’s good for everyone. In this case there are good paying jobs, an increase in tax revenue for the city and added convenience for tax payers shopping at Costco.” Byron

“Clayton is one of the great heroes working hard for the city and its residents, not for suburbanites, tourists and parkies, like Kleinman.”

Lee Gibson

“Doggonit, Clayton, I like Costco! But doggonit again, I think you’re right.

I’d love a unit to be closer, but the city shouldn’t hand over free money here. If they deem the market right, they should build here. Otherwise, don’t.”

Steve Davis

“The issue is that Costco is coming regardless. There is no reason for the city to give the money away when it’s not necessary Costco wants a foothold in Dallas. Not giving away our tax dollars isn’t going to stop that from happening.”

Cody Yocom

“Remember how we lost Cowboy Stadium... Same thing and a huge mistake for Dallas.”

Susan Nelson Wheeler

Lakewood’s Fresh Market closes at Arboretum Village

“Fresh Market was never a good fit for our neighborhood, with a Whole Foods a few minutes away I could never find what I wanted there and it was expensive. I feel sorry for the employees, hope they can find new jobs soon.”

Tejasmom

GET TO KNOW

JORGE VILLALPANDO

REALTOR - COLDWELL BANKER

Jorge Villalpando, a native Dallasite, grew up in the Junius Heights area of East Dallas. His extensive knowledge of Dallas, coupled with his background in the financial industry, make him knowledgeable in all aspects of real estate.

In his first year of selling real estate, Jorge was the recipient of the prestigious International Sterling Society award, given to only the top 10% of Coldwell Banker agents.

Outside of work, you can find Jorge coaching his son’s baseball and basketball teams at the White Rock YMCA, and he’s active in many community organizations.

Jorge Villalpando

214.336.3060

jorge.villalpando@cbdfw.com

“Giving Costco $3 million is disgusting. How about we fix our potholes, create initiatives for small business and build more bike lanes. That builds jobs, improves lives for citizens and creates a city that people actually want to live in.”

Leo Watts

“Fresh Market was not a good fit. I wonder if Lincoln Properties did not do enough research before selecting them. Sad to see the place vacant — we truly need a great grocery store in this location. I hope they can do better.” sremily

MAKING SWEET MUSIC

INTERVIEW WITH VIOLIN MAKER ANTOINE NEDELEC

East Dallas violinmaker Antoine Nedelec looks exactly like you’d expect — a young Geppetto from “Pinocchio” — and his workshop is lined with woodworking tools, each meticulously organized along shelves or in drawers. Born and raised in France, Nedelec speaks with an accent when he passionately discusses the painstaking process of building a violin, which can take up to 200 hours per instrument. Nedelec is renowned for his varnishing skills, which lend his brand new violins an antique look.

How’d you get into violin-making?

Like every other kid I built stuff, but it was more a love of the violin. There’s a famous violin making school in Utah. [The Violin Making School of America.] When I went there, the program was about four to five years. I was pretty sure that was what I wanted to do, but it’s not like college where you go and then even if you don’t like your major you still get a diploma and you can kind of choose the job you want after that. With violin making, if it turns out that’s not what you want to do then you’re wasting your time. But within two weeks I knew I made the right choice. I just loved it right away.

Could technology or machinery eventually replace you?

No, science is making progress, but a computer does what it’s told.

Antoine Nedelec, below, and his East Dallas workshop, above. (Photo by Rasy Ran)

It doesn’t figure out anything. They’re getting closer, but what counts at the end is what people hear. You take a tree and you cut it, even if you make both sides from the same cut of wood, the left side is not going to have the same properties as right side of the instrument. It’s intuitive. I think modern makers have lost their intuitive-ity compared to the old Cremonese violins [out of Cremona, Italy, where the famous violin-maker Antonio Stradivarius was born in 1644], but there are some violin-makers who are getting close. I think the best of the modern makers are getting pretty close to the old ones.

So you make old-style violins?

I do, I make older styles — more intuitive, less symmetrical. I try to just let it happen. And they’re much easier to sell if you antique them. Much easier. My reputation in the business is that I do that well.

How many hours a day do you spend working?

I used to spend a good 10 to 12 hours day working. About two years ago I made a huge life decision that I wasn’t going to go crazy, so now it’s more like just any regular job. Although it’s hard to tell because some days I can work 15 hours and other days I can work two.

What’s your artistic process like? Is it therapeutic or creative?

The creative thinking gets pretty intense. When it comes to varnish, it gets so intense that that’s what I think about at night. I cannot let it go. When I make a mistake, I’m getting better at walking away and going on with life, but it’s still hard. It’s hard to deal with my family when I get out of the shop and I’m mad, disappointed or stressed.

How much does a violin go for?

One of mine goes for a little bit over $20,000. If you work on old violins, which I used to, but I don’t do much anymore — I’m almost 100 percent into violin-making — I did violin restoring, and very often I’d have violins that were

We get it.

10 times more expensive than my house. A Stradivarius from Cremona can easily go for $3 million to $5 million.

Have you ever owned a Stradivarius violin?

No. I’ve worked on them doing adjustments, but I don’t that any more. I concentrate only on new making. When I have one of those, I can’t leave my house [because he’s afraid it will be stolen].

Are there any Stradivarius violins in Dallas?

There are a few. Do you know Harlan Crow? He has one, and there are two in the symphony. There are a couple more that are privately owned.

Do people buy already-made violins or do you make them for specific people?

I make them for specific people, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to be happy about it. Usually those people are very, very picky. So when I make it, they’re not forced to buy the violin, at which point it can go to somebody else, if they don’t like it. Most of the time my violins sell in New York. They go to professional violinists. I have a shop in New York that I do a lot of business with. I send them my violins, and they handle the sale. I do like to deal with musicians directly, so I do that too, although that’s another job right there.

How so?

The violinists are under a lot of stress themselves. It’s their profession. It’s their voice, which is why it can be so hard to be commissioned. It’s so much easier to send them to a shop and let them deal with them. There’s something to be said for making the violin and then finding the right customer, rather than finding the customer and making the right violin. But I do both, and I do adjustments for some customers.

Do you get your inspiration from Stradivarius?

All the violin makers in the world are infatuated with Stradivarius. So yeah, I take inspiration from him. Sometimes I try to make exact replicas, trying to be as close to an original as possible.

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7147 Alexander Dr. SOLD

347 Classen Dr. SOLD

9728 Shoreview Rd. PENDING

David Collier 214.536.8517

David Collier 214.536.8517

David Collier 214.536.8517

How do you go about making an exact replica?

I was involved in a big project at Oberlin College. Every summer they gather some of the best makers in the world, and they come together and build a violin. We got to copy a very famous Stradivarius violin that’s at the Library of Congress. It was the first time they let it out of the library ever. We got to use technology for that. It was a pain in the butt. It’s much more fun to make it by hand. It took two years. The first year was to make it, and the second year was to varnish it. I was in charge of varnishing it, and now it’s right next to the original in the Library of Congress. It looks close. It’s not exactly like the original.

You’ve won awards for your work, right?

Every two years there’s an international violin-making competition in the United States. It’s called the Violin Society of America Competition. I’ve won quite a few prizes. In 2012, I won a gold medal, so first prize, for viola. That same year I won silver for cello and a certificate of workmanship for violin.

How often do you make a violin that you feel like is a perfect violin?

Never. I think I’m getting to the point where I have a better idea of what they’re going to sound like. If somebody is telling you they’re going to make you a violin, and they know exactly what it’s going to sound like, they’re lying. You can choose things to make it sound darker or lighter, but even then there are surprises.

How many days does it take to make a violin?

It depends. You could go really fast. You could make one in four to five days in the white — meaning not varnished — or you could take a whole month to make one. Even two months. In terms of hours, it’s usually about 200 hours from start to finish, but you could go faster than that. I never have a deadline. My only deadline is my wife telling me I haven’t made money in months. That’s when I start worrying about finishing one, but I’ve learned to never ever, ever make compromises with quality.

Brittany Nunn

— Jay Cresswell

BARBECUE BENEFIT

At the first White Rock Que, four barbecue-obsessed buddies vied for the best-brisket title. In pouring rain, 40 or so acquaintances assembled to sample their savory submissions, recalls Lake Highlands resident Trish McCoy, one of a tight-knit group of pals who cofounded the event. Just three years later, the 2016 Que — set for Saturday, June 4, from 5-9 p.m. at Oak Highlands Brewery, 10484 Brockwood — promises sprawling, booming festivities with hundreds of White Rock-area neighbors bonding over savory meats, live music and craft brew while generating a significant sum of money for The Rape Crisis Center of Dallas.

White Rock area neighbors prepare for an annual fundraising cookoff.

(Photos by Rasy Ran)

“We officially started it just for fun in 2013 but last year decided to raise money for the Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center,” says McCoy, explaining that one of her friends, another cofounder of White Rock Que, was one of three victims in a series of sexual assaults that shook our neighborhood in spring 2013. That a harrowing crime spree inspired the fundraising aspect of White Rock Que, is worth noting, the

women say, but they would rather focus on the $10,000 they aim to raise this time around. The money will help rape survivors and their families reclaim their lives, says the woman who survived an attack in her Lake Highlands home. DARCC is a rape crisis center for local sexual assault survivors, and she says the organization helped her begin to heal. They provide advocacy, crisis intervention,

counseling, prevention education and support to anyone impacted by sexual violence. “Things like sitting with victims at the hospital, advising you how to preserve evidence of the crime things [victims] wouldn’t even think of [in the immediate aftermath of a rape],” she says. This year, Oak Highlands Brewery lends its large warehouse and lot to the socalled White Rock Que BBQ Caucus. There, six teams will compete to see who makes the best brisket and pork. Attendees cast votes for The People’s Choice Champion. Tickets are $10 and $5 for kids under 12. In March 2014, a Dallas judge sentenced Cesar Benitez to 85 years in prison for the sexual attacks and burglaries of three Lake Highlands women in 2013. The victims all testified at trial, helping to put the 33-year-old rapist behind bars.

Christina Hughes Babb

PAST & PRESENT LOOKING BACK AT DAYS GONE

At left, the Lakewood Theater as it stood in 1946. This shot was saved from the dumpster by neighbor Lovita Irby, who worked for Interstate Theatres, which operated many local movie houses including the Majestic downtown. At right, the theater as it stands today.

6832 Avalon Ave. $1,495,000 5614 Vanderbilt Ave. $575,000

7102 Lakewood Blvd. $995,000 6816 Gaston Ave. $899,000

James Coltharp 214.868.4900

Robyn Guajardo 214.727.4012

Joe Kacynski

Long

8456 San Fernando Way $699,500

7035 Lakewood Blvd. $1,647,000

7028 Westlake Ave. $649,900

Christopher, better known as Chris, was found in a vacant parking lot next to the Fireplace Lounge on a warm day in July. After being rescued by her now best friend, David Kirkpatrick, Chris fell very ill and some vets thought she’d be better off being put down. Her human refused to give up on her and now she’s better than ever, so good she even snuck into the sidelines of this year’s Newellian Easter parade.

BUDDING EDUCATION

Earlier this year, a common garden spider spun an intricate web that stretched across a section of the garden at Stonewall Jackson Elementary School.

“Most kids would just take a stick and knock down the web,” says Barbara Uskovich, who teaches thirdgrade science at the school. “Not one child touched her.”

Instead, they named her Beatrix and grew very protective of her, making sure she was well fed with other garden insects.

“They learn a deep respect for the earth,” Uskovich says.

That education begins as soon as

they enter the school, as every grade has an active role in running the various gardens at least once a week.

It’s an outdoor classroom where students learn the fundamentals of environmental science in addition to learning were their food comes from and how to grow it themselves.

“Our students put it in. They weed it. They monitor it. They collect the seeds to plant next year. It’s all on them,” Uskovich says.

It’s been 20 years since the garden first bloomed at Stonewall Jackson, long before school gardens were a trend touted by the First Lady. It was the brainchild of Evelyn Painter,

a second-grade teacher who thought children would benefit from more outdoor education. Her husband, Mark Painter, took the reigns in building and overseeing the garden in 1996. It began with a simple patch of beans. But over time, he developed the wildscape, where children can see how plants grow without much human intervention; a full vegetable garden with annual harvest; and a chicken coop that produces fresh eggs.

Scores of children learned to tend the gardens and appreciate nature under Mark Painter’s tutelage. For a while, he was a paid instructor

whose classroom was outside, where children would learn to monitor soil temperatures, collect rainwater totals, and compost, among other life skills.

Then the recession yanked funding from all public schools, and Stonewall could no longer afford Mark Painter. He made plans to leave the school, but the parents whose children adored him wouldn’t hear of it. They created a garden steering committee and raised the money needed to keep “Mr. Painter” on staff until he retired in 2014. But when he departed, the garden was left in limbo.

“The garden slowly started to die,” Uskovich says. “Any direct knowledge of the garden had left.”

Uskovich and a group of Stonewall science teachers made a plan to take over garden maintenance, and went to work learning as much as they could about the 20,000-square-foot plot of land. The parents stepped up to help make sure the teachers had what they needed in terms of equipment and resources but were not allowed to fund another garden instructor like Mr. Painter.

“The district wanted it to be very clear that we were a fundraising group,” says Sarah Nicholson, spokeswoman for the garden committee. “We now focus on supporting the teachers.”

Dallas Independent School District spokesman Andre Riley points out the liability concerns when hiring someone to work with children; it’s more than just having funds. “Hiring an employee is more complicated than that,” he says.

The parents and the school found common ground this school year with Becky Gonzalez, a new teacher’s assistant on staff. In addition to her classroom duties, Gonzalez was paid through the committee to oversee the garden, which is necessary for it to thrive, some say.

“There’s so much to know, you really need one person dedicated to it,” Uskovich says.

Nicholson says they hope to keep Gonzalez on as garden coordinator, but it will depend on raising enough funds. Luckily, the community has always felt a strong sense of ownership

over the garden, which is visible to all who pass from Matilda and Mockingbird.

“Our garden invites people in,” Uskovich says. “We want you to come.”

The passion from the school, parents and community will keep the garden blooming for another 20 years, because those involved see and hear the benefit direct from the children.

“It’s pretty impressive when a kindergartener can take you through the garden and tell you why there’s thermometers in the ground,” says Nicholson, whose three children have learned in the outdoor classroom.

Uskovich says her students come to life in the garden, relishing the chance to get out of the classroom and get their hands dirty. “To be in a building all day is not natural, especially for kids,” she says. “They get outside, and they become scientists.”

— Emily Charrier

THE STONEWALL GARDENS are always looking for volunteers and donations. Get involved at stonewallgardens.org/explore-the-garden.

(Photos courtesy of Stonewall Gardens)

SK8R BOYS

Long before kids could learn how to do an ollie or a kickflip from YouTube, old school East Dallas skaters Tracy Weller and Jimmy Coleman were tearing up the Dallas skate parks, and they haven’t quit yet.

“In our era you had to go down to the skate shop and buy some crappy VHS tape of a contest, and you’d wear that thing out in your parents’ VCR,” Coleman says.

“There’s a lot of technical stuff going on now,” Weller explains. “I don’t do a lot of flippy tricks.”

If they sound like old men griping about “kids these days,” it’s because, well, they kind of are. It’s appropriate that they’re both members of the DFW Old Man Skate Cartel, which is a meet-up group they claim is little more than “a Facebook page for selling T-shirts,” although we suspect it’s a little more than that because it’s nearly impossible to find information about the group online, and as a general rule,

Tracy Weller. (Photo by Danny Fulgencio)

anything worth keeping a secret is worth knowing about.

To their credit, they’re incredibly badass for “old men.” They’re in tip-top physical shape, reflective of their active lifestyles, and covered in tattoos. Although neither went pro, they’ve been rubbing elbows with Dallas’ hottest rippers — such as Jeff Phillips (before he died in 1993), Craig Johnson and Dan Wilkes — for decades.

“There was a group of guys who were really good,” Coleman says. “They would all travel around and do contests. At the time, Tony Hawk and Christian Hosoi were winning a lot of the contests, and Jeff [Phillips] was this force that could go out there and he could beat those guys.”

“With a different style of skateboarding,” Wellers adds, “because a

lot of those guys were coming with more technical and tricky things.”

“Jeff was just pure power and style,” Coleman says. “Everything for him looked effortless. He’d come down and you could feel the whole ramp moving.”

Both men moved to Dallas in the late-1980s. When Weller first moved to Dallas from England, he remembers primarily skating on backyard mini-ramps and hanging out at a couple of skate parks in the area before the giant Jeff Phillips Skatepark opened in Northeast Dallas, which was the biggest skate park in the world at the time.

Most people who wanted to go pro back then moved to California, but Texas had it’s own scene. It wasn’t flashy, but it held its own, Coleman remembers.

“That’s why I came here, because of that,” Coleman explains. “People down here were known for their aggressive style of skating. It was a good, fun group of guys, so we were like, ‘Hey, we don’t have to move to California.’ ”

A lot has changed over the years, but one thing hasn’t: the community. Both men first got into skating because the culture gave them a place to belong as awkward, aimless teenagers, and although they joke about the non-importance of the Old Man Skate Cartel, they admit it gives them a way to stay connected with the tight-knit community.

“Someone will post where they’re going to be when,” Weller says. “Stuff like that.”

“We mostly just make fun of each other and post cat memes,” Coleman quips. Brittany Nunn

OUT & ABOUT

Through June 18

‘MOON OVER BUFFALO’

This is the play that brought Carol Burnett back to Broadway. It’s a comedy about the backstage shenanigans of an aging acting couple with one last shot at stardom. Pocket Sandwich Theatre, 5400 E. Mockingbird, 214.821.1860, pocketsandwich.com, $12-$25

June 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30

COOL THURSDAYS

This month’s Arboretum shows include tributes to Johnny Cash, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones and Santana, plus The Dallas Winds with a patriotic program on June 30. Gates open at 6 p.m. Shows at 7:30 p.m. Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland Road, dallasarboretum.org, 214.515.6520, $10-$27

June 4

DOG DAY AFTERNOON

Operation Kindness, the no-kill shelter, celebrates its annual Dog Day Afternoon from 9 a.m.-1 p.m., featuring low-cost microchipping, “ask the vet” and “ask the trainer” tents and performances, plus an attempt at the world’s record for largest dog birthday cake. Flagpole Hill, 8100 Doran Circle, 972.418.7297, operationkindness.org, free

June 4, 11, 18, 25

GOOD LOCAL MARKET

The White Rock and Lakeside markets have combined. The market now is from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. every Saturday through December at Lakeside Baptist Church. Good Local Market, 9150 Garland Road, goodlocalmarket.org, free

June 5

GUSTAFER YELLOWGOLD

Few children’s musicians have the crossover success to adult audiences that Gustafer Yellowgold possesses. Yellowgold, an animated yellow alien from the sun, is the creation of songwriter and illustrator Morgan Taylor. He performs “live on the Astroturf” alongside videos of his animated creation. The show starts at noon.

Good Records, 1808 Greenville, 214.752.4663, goodrecords.com, free

June 10

FRIDAY I’M IN LOVE

Dallas’ own Cure tribute band, Le Cure, performs on a Friday. The show starts at 9 p.m. Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville, 214.824.9933, granadatheater.com, $14-$24

June 11

DR. SEUSS

Barnes and Noble celebrates Dr. Seuss with a reading of “Oh the Places You’ll Go,” starting at 11 a.m., with activities to follow.

Barnes and Noble Lincoln Park, 7700 W. Northwest Highway, 214.739.1124, barnesandnoble.com, free

June 15-26

SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK

Opening week of Shakespeare Dallas’ summer plays brings us “She Stoops to Conquer” by Oliver Goldsmith. The 1773 English play is a “comedy of manors” about a nobleman who is nervous around upper class women but perfectly bawdy with the working class. It runs June 15-18. Next up is “Richard III,” directed by Stefan Novinski, which runs June 22-26. All shows start at 8:15 p.m. Samuell Grand Amphitheater, 1500 Tenison, 214.559.2778, shakespearedallas.org, $10-$15

JUNE

PENDING

PENDING

Delicious

ROOTS JUICES

It was only a few years ago that the juicing fad hit Dallas, bringing words like “cold-pressed” “fortified” and “kale” into the popular lexicon. That’s when Junius Heights neighbor Brent Rodgers got in on the action, opening Roots Juices in Oak Lawn in 2013.

“I was on Wall Street for 10 years. I hated it, so I left and took a gap year,” Rodgers says. During that gap year, he traveled extensively, tasting all of the world’s flavors. He wanted to get healthy, so he started juicing in his personal life. Friends started requesting his unique blends, which he packed with big flavors like turmeric, dandelion and mint. Finally someone suggested he open a business. “It was just the encouragement I needed,” he says.

In May, Rodgers opened his fourth

store, this time in his own neighborhood, at the Lakewood Shopping Center. Everything is juiced on site using the traditional cold-pressed method to preserve the nutritional value of the produce. Rodgers comes up with all of the recipes himself, which. in addition to your traditional green juice offerings, include some oddities like Bee Well, which mixes carrots and fruits with bee pollen and lavender; or the Liver Cleanse with beets, aloe and ginger.

“I always start with a base ingredient,” Rodgers says. “They always have something with a punch of flavor, like ginger or jalapeño.”

For those less interested in health foods, Roots Juices also has smoothies, enhanced waters and, only at the Lakewood location, a full coffee bar. Juice cleanses also are available in the store for those looking to detox, and while cleanses

brought him into the market, Rodgers says it’s not what keeps him there.

“Our customers are less interested in doing cleanses and more focused on stocking the fridge for the week,” he says. “I think more people are interested in a healthy life.” — Emily

Charrier

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Did you know? A full 3-pounds of produce goes into every single bottle of juice.

(Photo by Kathy Tran)

LW 6-16

TASTE THREE: JUST JUICE IT

BUDA JUICE

Need a pick-me-up when shopping at Mockingbird Station? Swing by Buda Juice for a green, red or orange juice packed with fruits and veggies. The Buda Basilato Soup is like gazpacho you can drink on the go.

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If the date is updated on the page it means something has been changed for the new month

MUSCLE MAKER GRILL

While not technically juice, this Lower Greenville spot does offer fruit smoothies and enhanced protein shakes in addition to its regular menu. Be sure to enjoy the kitschy plate names like the “Rocky Balboa” and “Godfather.”

2217 GREENVILLE

214.272.2210

MUSCLEMAKERGRILL.COM

FRUTERIA CANO

This hole-in-the-wall may not look like much from outside, but it packs huge flavors. The grocery store has a juice bar that sells all sorts of blends you need to speak Spanish to fully understand, like the Revoltijos and Hielo Caliente, along with some familiar names such as the piña colada.

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TASTE OF SUMMER: BERRY SLAB PIE

As we dive into summer with its backyard barbecues and pool parties, easy and fresh are what we want in dessert. A slab pie is the perfect warm weather treat, similar to a classic deep dish pie but on the lighter side due to its buttery crust. I don’t have to tell you that all pies are enhanced with a scoop of ice cream.

Serves 10 people

Ingredients:

Pie crust:

5 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 cups unsalted butter, chilled 1/2 cup cold water

Berry filling:

4 cups strawberries, sliced

1 cup blueberries

1 cup raspberries

1 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 lemon, zested

Juice of 1 lemon

Egg wash:

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

Combine egg and water and whisk. Using a pastry brush, paint the egg wash onto the dough before baking to create a glossy and golden finish.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and butter a 9x13 pan.

In a food processor combine flour, sugar and salt.

Slowly pulse the dry ingredients while adding the cold butter in cubes.

Once the flour looks like course meal, slowly add the water to the flour mixture until dough comes together.

Divide dough into two equal parts, wrap and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes before rolling out.

While the dough is chilling, prepare the berry fruit filling.

Slice the strawberries, combine with blueberries and raspberries.

Add sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, lemon zest and lemon juice to the fruit, mix until fully combined (refrigerated until ready to use).

Once dough is chilled, roll out to cover the bottom of the pan.

Add the filling to the top of the dough and spread evenly.

Roll out the remainder of the dough and cut into strips to make a lattice top. Egg wash the dough.

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Serve warm.

Kristen Massad writes a monthly column about sweets and baked goods. The professional pastry chef graduated from the French Culinary Institute in New York City and owned Tart Bakery on Lovers Lane for eight years. She blogs about food and lifestyles at inkfoods.com.

Abdominal Pain

Back Injur y

Breathing Problems

Chest Pain

Dehydration

Dizziness

Eye Injuries

Head Injuries

Major Burns

Stroke Like Symptoms

Allergies

Allergic Reac tions

Bites

Colds and Coughs

Cuts

Earaches

Fevers

Flu

Sore Throat Rashes

DIVE IN DIVE IN

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE ROLE OF PUBLIC SWIMMING IN OUR CITY’S HISTORY

It is summer in Texas, our world is a sauna, everything’s sticky. The urge is fierce to cannonball into the nearest pool, splash around and soak up its chilly reprieve.

Since the early 1900s — through wars, the Civil Rights movement, economic booms and busts, and the opening and closing of White Rock Lake beach — citizens and city officials have sought to satisfy this aquatic yen.

As we wade into another sweltering season, neighborhood residents are bolstered by the Dallas Park and Recreation Department’s updated Aquatics Master Plan, which promises a sunny future for local swimming.

Funded by its $31.8 million sale of Elgin B. Robertson Park at Lake Ray Hubbard last year, the parks department anticipates major upgrades to nine of Dallas’ 17 existing public pools, including East Dallas’ Tietze Park and Samuell-Grand Park.

It’s a remarkable feat, according to former City Councilwoman Angela Hunt, who points out that as recently as 2014, the city intended to shutter Tietze Park pool. The plan at the time was one-size-fits-all and failed to take into account the varying popularity levels of neighborhood pools across the city, Hunt notes; she credits neighborhood residents with speaking up and city officials for listening and responding with dramatic changes to the program.

That passion for public pools has been evident throughout our city’s history, and it’s no wonder — pools have made Southern summers bearable, even downright enjoyable. And our approach to public pools and swimming reflects the tensions and transformations our city has experienced.

STORY BY EMILY CHARRIER AND CHRISTINA HUGHES BABB | PHOTOS BY DANNY FULGENCIO

WHEN WHITE ROCK LAKE WAS KING

It’s the early 1950s, bubblegum rock is topping the charts and White Rock Lake is the social spot where students from local high schools are most likely to be found.

“We did everything on the lake. We swam there. We took a lot of picnics down to the beach,” says Delores “Dee” Knight, who graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1954. “There was a lot of ‘parking’ that went on there at night,” she adds with a blush.

For 23 years, families from across Dallas flocked to White Rock Lake’s bucolic banks, sunning themselves on the sandy beach or cooling off with a swim — Norman Rockwell couldn’t have painted a more iconic scene.

It was kept as pristine as possible, intended as a water source for the city, not a swimming hole. But when Lake Lewisville was completed in 1929 as a larger reservoir, Dallas immediately made plans to turn its 1,015-acre lake into a recreational paradise. The Bath House opened in 1930, along with the bathing beach and boathouse. There on the eastern edge, a cement slab extended a hundred feet into the lake with 500 feet along the shore, making it the largest swimming pool in the city, according to “A History of Dallas Parks,” a manuscript kept in the city archives. Attendance often exceeded 100,000 per summer, even though sanitation always had been question-

able. The water was chlorinated, first by boat and later through a pipeline. Historic images also show lake-goers wading in the spillway, under a pedestrian bridge that no longer exists, at the water’s southwest edge.

Despite periods of bleak economic conditions, families found affordable fun at the lake, which flourished with recreation from swimming to sailing to seaplanes.

The U.S. Army soon saw the value of the land, building its extensive Civilian Conservation Corps camps, which included two concession stands, camps, trails, picnic grounds and bathrooms, many of which are still in use today. Flush with funds from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, Army Capt. Tom B. Martin oversaw construc-

German prisoners of war were brought to reside there in 1944-45. After the war, Southern Methodist University bought the camp for student housing — imagine if those walls could talk. Their stories, of which few were recorded, ended when the basic wooden buildings were either sold off or torn down in the post-war boom years.

In addition to the Army, private businesses and clubs capitalized on the urban oasis, offering a wide swath of water activities, from cruises to waterskiing. Speed boating became popular and many prominent citizens built their own boat houses with a measly annual lease of $1, according to Sally Rodriguez’s book “Images of America: White Rock Lake.”

By 1952 the city determined that

tion beginning in July 1935, which brought an estimated 3,000 youth to live and work at the camp during its seven years in operation.

When America joined the allied forces of WWII in 1942, the camps became a training facility for the Army, before

the boathouses unfairly limited access to the shared recreational resource and they were torn down.

When a severe drought hit Texas in summer 1953, White Rock’s water again was needed to support the city, and swimming was outlawed, a ban that has remained in place ever since.

Dee Knight can’t remember the reaction from friends upon news that their summertime playground would be shut down, “But it couldn’t have been good,” she notes. “It was the end of an era.”

Today, water sports are still enjoyed on the lake, albeit it in limited capacity — barges have been replaced by kayaks, speed boats by crew rowers.

“We did everything on the lake. We swam there. We took a lot of picnics down to the beach. There was a lot of ‘parking’ that went on there at night.”

White Rock Lake boat races. (Courtesy of the Dallas Municipal Archives, City of Dallas)

DESEGREGATION SHAPES THE MODERN SWIMMING ERA

Though it is remembered fondly, White Rock Lake never was the ideal place to swim, according to 1939-72 Park and Recreation Department director L.B. Houston, whose recorded oral history from 1973 is provided by city archivist John Slate.

Years before it closed, “the popularity of White Rock Beach began to decline. It was not a very dependable swimming place. In fact, it was just a recreation center. You know, go see and be seen and play in the sand,” Houston said. “Sanitation was always questioned.”

When White Rock beach closed, swimming’s modern era, which began in ’45, was just evolving in Dallas, progressing during a time of desegregation and accompanying unrest.

Swimming pools became a flashpoint for racial contention, notes professor Jeff Wiltse in his book, “Contested Waters: A Social History of Swimming Pools in America.”

“Racist assumptions that black Americans were more likely to be infected with communicable illness” inflamed opposition to racial integration, Wiltse wrote.

Also, gender mixing at pools was relatively new, and white swimmers objected “to black men interacting with white women at such visually and physically intimate spaces,” he adds.

Across the country, stories emerged of young black men being beaten for attempting to swim at white pools.

“In my book, I have pictures of black Americans who lie still on the ground with bloody heads from being pummeled, just for trying to access a swimming pool,” Wiltse said in an NPR radio interview.

Houston and members of the Dallas park board understood the perils.

“We could see the time when ra-

cially mixed swimming would be with us,” Houston says. “We had the feeling that the very last thing that white people would tolerate would be mixed swimming. We thought it would be dangerous, you know, perhaps mob violence.”

In Dallas, no written rule of racial segregation at park property existed. Rather, segregation was socially enforced, according to the parks department’s centennial history. “Black citizens risked harassment or worse for using white facilities.”

Aside from White Rock and other lakes, a couple of large municipal pools served Dallas swimmers in the early 1900s.

The nearest pool for black residents of Northeast and East Dallas was Griggs Park, the city’s second black pool after Exline, located south of Southern Methodist University, almost to Downtown Dallas. Prior to 1924 it was called Hall Street Negro Park and was renamed for Rev. Allen Griggs, a

freed slave who became a minister and newspaper publisher.

Imbalance in amenities grew increasingly evident over the years.

A 1944 Dallas Morning News article reported that the city offered 60 acres of park for its 60,000 black residents. In contrast, 5,000 acres were reserved

for its 320,000 white citizens.

Compared to other Southern cities, Dallas managed to make a relatively peaceful transition to integrated pools, according to Slate, who co-wrote a paper with current parks department director Willis Winters about the desegregation of Dallas parks.

In their essay, “A means to a peaceful transition,” Slate and Winters credit Houston with leading “a quiet revolution that was a bright spot in an otherwise tumultuous time in the city’s relationship with its black citizens.”

Park board members Ray Hubbard and Julius Schepps worked closely with Houston, according to Slate,

Children swim at the Hampton Road Negro children’s swimming pool in August 1955. (From the collections of the Dallas History & Archives Division, Dallas Public Library)

Houston explained in his oral history how he and the board devised a new public swimming program while gradually integrating.

They developed a grid system of communities, both black and white, with a swimming pool at the middle of each. These smaller pools would progressively replace the existing large municipal swimming facilities.

The idea was directly tied to equal rights and desegregation.

“Houston surmised that providing more pools in more neighborhoods would distribute them more equitably throughout Dallas while reducing the chances of confrontation,” note Slate and Winters.

Houston began keeping close track of the racial makeup of Dallas neigh-

borhoods, relying on employees who lived in transforming neighborhoods for information. He plotted data about racial trends and attitudes on a map

hoods that had seen some of the most violent responses to integrated housing in Dallas’ history,” according to Slate and Winters. It was employed around the city, arguably resulting ultimately in equal amenities for black citizens.

Years later Houston would have to defend the parks department’s seeming silence on issues of integration.

A trade magazine called Amusement Business noted in 1961 that Dallas desegregated parks, golf courses and other recreational facilities but explicitly left public pools out of their agreement with civil rights leaders.

hung in his office, which he used to make desegregation decisions.

“I never will forget the day [Schepps] called me and said, ‘L.B. are we ready to mix?’ By that time I think we had six or maybe nine pools. I told him my opinion that some could and others, doubtful,” Houston said in his oral history.

When it became clear a neighborhood was nearing a black-majority population, the local park was closed for a month and reopened as a “black” park. “By that time, most whites had moved on, and the park had been peacefully transitioned,” according to Houston’s oral history.

“This method was used successfully for both Lagow and Exline parks, which served South Dallas neighbor-

Houston defended his board’s methods, which, he pointed out, were supported by the Negro Chamber of Commerce and other local black groups.

“You were doing everything you could to prevent open rebellion. Because we were living on a powder keg. And when and if a revolt had ever been precipitated well, gosh, no telling where you would have ended up.”

Was it right to perpetuate socially segregated facilities? “No,” write Slate and Winters in their paper. “However, as agents of change from the inside they realized that whatever they could do from their positions would benefit a larger movement, and that anything that could prevent violent confrontation was better than the alternative.”

In the summer of 2010, a story from Shreveport, La., horrified the region. Six black teenagers, dead. Five went in after their friend who was drowning in the Red River’s shallow rough waters. A crowd stood nearby, helpless. Like their children, the adults could not swim. Black American children drown at a rate almost three times higher than white children, according to the USA Swimming Foundation. Swimming officials stress the key indicator is not race, but family — children from non-swimming households are eight times more

likely to be at risk of drowning. Every summer for the past five years the YMCA of Dallas has taught minority children — 60 percent of whom cannot swim, they say — basic water safety skills through its Urban Swim Initiative. A component of the Urban Swim initiative is the Make a Splash program, which brings swimming lessons to neighborhood apartment complexes. In 2011 the effort resulted in 1,900 children in 27 apartment communities learning to swim. The next year, certified YMCA instructors taught twice as many. “Safety

in and around water is an important issue for all children, but studies show that there are a disproportionate number of drownings among minority children,” YMCA President Gordon Echtenkamp said in 2012. “The Y established Urban Swim to focus on decreasing the number of swim-related fatalities in minority communities by providing swim lessons to children at no cost.” The Y also runs the Urban Swim Academy to “increase the number of minority youth that are certified as lifeguards and trained to save lives in pools, lakes and waterfronts.”

“within the confines of institutionalized segregation to encourage the peaceful transition to an integrated park system.”

“I have pictures of black Americans who lie still on the ground with bloody heads from being pummeled, just for trying to access a swimming pool”

Desegregation of parks and pools proved a “complex, difficult, dangerous struggle, with many roles played by many different agents of change,” according to Dallas archivist John Slate. Tension lingered, but still, the Dallas Park and Recreation Department launched the city into something of a sparkling period for public pools. Families from all Dallas neighborhoods — people of all racial and socioeconomic backgrounds — were able to spend hot summer days dunking themselves in an affordable, accessible public pool. It began with the pool at Fair Park in 1925, then Tietze Park 1946 then Samuell-Grand in 1953, not to mention the dozens of junior pools and wading pools that dotted the neighborhood (see page 50).

It’s clear that Dallas loved its pool system by the attendance record, which climbed to a high of 731,227 in 1957 according to park reports. Historic city records (which only stretch from 1921-58) show that the only year the city lost money on its pool system was in 1929 and 1930 following the stock market crash that plunged the country into the Great Depression, when families lost the extra income needed to play at the pool. Even in 1943, when the entire pool system was closed down on July 2 amidst a polio outbreak, the city

POOL PLIGHT

still managed to sneak out a profit of $2,956.

By 1973, Dallas had 100 neighborhood pools, and every summer the Dallas Morning News celebrated them with a splash piece on pool culture featuring pictures of swim classes and families enjoying the cool waters. But by the 1980s, the pools dropped in popularity. Take Samuell-Grand, which at the time was newly renovated and began the decade in 1980 with an attendance high of 15,761 but slowly dropped to a low of 4,080 in 1989. Not surprisingly, the city began to look at its investments, especially considering some of the pools were more than 50 years old by then.

In 1984 the Dallas City Council announced plans to close six pools entirely, including Griggs Park (formerly Hall Street Negro Park) near East Dallas. Another 16 pools began operating on a reduced schedule, but Samuell-Grand and Tietze remained open.

Tietze nearly closed in 1994, when the city closed four of its 22 remaining full-sized pools. According to a Dallas Morning News article, it was on an early closure list because it had a leak that the city hoped to avoid paying to fix. But when the park department realized it was the fourth most utilized pool in the city, it de -

termined there was enough revenue to be made to warrant repair.

Samuell-Grand, with its myriad recreational offerings and own financial support from the Samuell trust, mostly had avoided any threats of closure.

By 2000, the city was offering free days to entice more people into the pools. Then, it switched focuses entirely, investing heavily in “spraygrounds” instead. With contraptions that shoot, spray and dump water in all different sorts of ways, “spraygrounds” were cheaper to maintain because they don’t require lifeguards, and a 2003 voter-approved bond showed residents were in favor of the idea. Ridgewood Park opened in our neighborhood in 2006 after $446,000 in construction. It was such a success, the area was flooded with traffic; by 2008 it required “residents only” parking signs.

The pools again came under fire in 2012, when the city considered replacing neighborhood pools with smaller water facilities, citing the high cost of operating them. Tietze once again faced the threat of closure. Advocate columnist Angela Hunt encouraged residents to voice their concerns for their local pools and the city listened. Instead of shuttering, they decided to invest millions of dollars, transforming basic public pools into watery playgrounds with slides, shade structures and concession stands.

In 1973, Dallas had 100 neighborhood pools like this one. (Courtesy of the Dallas Municipal Archives, City of Dallas)

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If you grew up in East Dallas, you most certainly swam at Tietze Pool at some point in your life. There’s nothing fancy about it, but being the hub of the neighborhood during peak summer heat makes it an East Dallas gem the neighborhood has fought to protect.

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It was 1924 when the City of Dallas paid $16,797.94 for about five acres of land from Mr. Boyd Keith and Charles C. Huff, and proceeded to turn pasturelands into what was then known as Keith Park, according to city records. Six years later, the city spent $1,400 to build a junior swimming pool, which became an immediate hit with neighbors, leading to a spike in attendance at the park.

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It wasn’t until 1934 when Tietze Park got the name we know today, inspired by W.R. Tietze, who championed the city’s recreation as superintendent of parks from 1896-1933. Under his watch, the city invested more into parks and pools than any other time in its history, earning him naming rights on one of East Dallas’ most popular parks.

In 1945 Tietze Park nearly doubled in size with the addition of four acres purchased for $28,105 from J.R. Noble, Charles Cobb and Howard Hicks. The city quickly made plans to build a full-sized pool, since swimmers were wary of the water conditions at White Rock Lake and nearby Fair Park Pool often was over-crowded. For a total of $41,556 ($507,477.61 in today’s dollars), the Tietze pool opened in 1946 and citywide pool attendance jumped from 323,227 to 484,476. (It should be noted that Grauwyler Pool in northwest Dallas also opened that year.)

Tietze has lasted longer than many of Dallas’ other swimming pools, largely due to its strong attendance level, which dropped to a low of 4,268 in 2004 before rebounding to its highest levels in recent decades with 14,292 swimmers in 2012.

With an influx of $2.6 million (see page 51), Tietze’s next chapter is just getting started.

Tietze Pool. (Photos by Danny Fulgencio)

GRAND ‘OLE SAMUELL GRAND

Were it not for William Worthington Samuell, East Dallas’ recreational landscape would look vastly different today. The sophisticated surgeon was a city legend, who bequeathed all of his real estate holdings, about 900 acres, to the City of Dallas when he died in 1937.

In a succinct 21 words, Samuell’s will instructed the city to spend the $1.2 million gift (nearly $20 million in today’s dollars) on city parks and recreation. Samuell was known as a lover of the outdoors, who enjoyed walking his dogs across his robust piece of land, a legacy he wanted to see continue after his death.

Critics have complained that the city didn’t live up to Samuell’s request when it fought for the right to sell some plots of land rather than build parks. But the crown jewel of the Samuell bequest was Samuell-Grand, an 81-acre East Dallas park that included a baseball diamond, tennis courts and, as of August 1953, a pool.

It was the same year city officially closed White Rock Lake to swimmers; residents were eager for another place to cool off since Tietze was not large enough to handle the entire neighborhood. The year after Samuell-Grand opened, citywide pool attendance spiked to 611,253, up from 494,624 the year prior.

Since then, pool attendance has ebbed and flowed, but the numbers at Samuell-Grand always were strong enough to keep the swimming hole open, even as dozens of other city pools were shut down. And now, the pool is headed for the biggest upgrade in the neighborhood with a $5 million facelift (see page 51).

Samuell Grand Pool. (Photo by Danny Fulgencio)

While families often have had to drive to the nearest large swimming pool for respite from the heat, there was a time when neighborhood wading pools were a feature at most of the city’s small parks, including Buckner, Exall, Garrett and Park View in East Dallas.

In fact, in the 1920s, two attendants, a male and a female, were assigned to each pool, enforcing rules that allowed boys (ages 7 to 14) to swim from 4 to 5 p.m., while girls had to wait for 5 to 6 p.m., according to the 1921-23 Parks and Playground System Annual Report produced by the city.

In the late teens and early 1920s, the City of Dallas put a huge investment into its parks department, building 10 wading pools all over the city at a cost of about $3,200 each (or $40,000 in today’s dollars). What’s more, each of those 3.5-foot-deep pools had to be drained, cleaned and refilled with 35,000 gallons of water daily, creating extensive work for the city’s maintenance department.

But no one can say the citizens didn’t love and use the pools regularly. Wading pool attendance was listed at 9,333 at Exall Park from May to September in 1923, while Buckner drew 9,348, according to the report. That works out to more than 65

swimmers a day in the micro-pools. So popular were they that the city kept building them, and by 2000 had amassed a collection of 26 sprinkled across Dallas parks.

That was the year the Centers for Disease Control cracked down on wading pools, after a child in Atlanta died from contracting E. coli after swimming in one. While larger pools are built with filtration systems to keep them clean, wading pools run the risk of becoming breeding grounds for bacteria in the stagnant water, even though it was changed daily, health experts said. In February 2000, the park department announced plans to close all 26 of the city’s wading pools, sparking an immediate backlash.

People were protective of their petite park pools, and vocally opposed the idea of losing them. Park officials countered that the wading pools were all at least 50 years old and would require about $4 million to bring them up to new state codes aimed at preventing disease outbreaks. Former Mayor Laura Miller was the most vocal opponent of the plan, and went about finding her own funding stream to protect four of the wading pools, specifically Arcadia Park in her Oak Cliff district. Despite the effort, the wading pools eventually closed.

Wading pools at Dallas parks eventually gave way to larger neighborhood pools, like this one at Samuell-Grand Park, which opened in 1953. (Courtesy of the Dallas Municipal Archives, City of Dallas)

POOLS TO SPRAYGROUNDS TO AQUATIC CENTERS

Just east of our neighborhood, the City of Rowlett is planning a $1 billion development that would bring an eight-acre man-made lagoon complete with a sandy beach and options for sailing. It’s the type of recreational paradise that will make Tietze pool look like a hole in the ground to some neighborhood families (no counting for nostalgia that will keep others swimming close to home).

The City of Dallas has long tried to compete with the private sector in offering refreshing recreation. In the 1920-50s, it built dozens of pools, making the cool waters that were once only accessible to the wealthy something attainable for an average family. In the 2000s, it built spraygrounds that offer a more water park-inspired experience than a traditional public pool. Now, it has set its sights on aquatic centers.

Part neighborhood pool that can offer the traditional swimming lessons and camps; part water park with slides and other fun features, the new designs are hoping to capture families looking for all the bells and whistles while also filling a basic community need. The city has plenty of money to sink into the effort, thanks to the sale of Elgin B. Robertson Park Lake Ray Hubbard, which is funding most of the $52.8 million makeover.

In our neighborhood, that includes a $2.6 million facelift for Tietze Park and a $5 million overhaul of Samuell-Grand.

Samuell-Grand will soon be a ha-

ven from the heat, with a lazy river, children’s pool and a waterslide. Expect an eight-lane lap pool for swim lessons as well as a shade structure and a 4,000-square-foot bathhouse with a concession stand. City officials expect it will draw 45,000 swimmers a year, who will each pay an admission fee of $7-$9 (exact price to be decided). Plans calls for the groundbreaking on the new water playground to take place in May 2017, with construction to be completed in one year.

Final designs are still being developed by Kimley-Horn and Associates and Quimby McCoy Preservation Architecture, but plans for Tiezte Park’s pool revealed in March show a slightly larger pool with 3-4 swimming lanes that range from 3.5-6-feet deep, and also a 16-inch tube slide. The little swimmers would get a zero-entry pool and families could hang out under the 20-by-30-foot shade structure. The city is doing everything possible to preserve but enhance the original infrastructure, including the 1934 stone pavilion that abuts the current pool.

The final design is expected by the end of the year, after the city has had ample time to hear from residents about what they’d like to see in their pool plans. The designers hope to begin construction in May 2017 before the newly refurbished Tietze Neighborhood Family Aquatic Center opens in May 2019. At that time, the city predicts admission will remain reasonable at $3-$5.

FORGOTTEN FEW

EVERY NIGHT, THOUSANDS OF TEENAGE GIRLS IN DALLAS ARE TUCKED SAFELY INTO BED, BUT ABOUT

400 GET READY TO GO TO WORK, ARDUOUS NIGHTS OF SELLING THEIR BODIES TO APPEASE THEIR PIMPS

Robin probably would have been a CEO in another life. She has the business acumen of a Wall Street broker and a keen sense of client relations.

Unfortunately, her industry of choice is illegal.

“Some call me an escort, some call me a hooker — it all means the same thing,” says the bubbly

19-year-old, who regularly sells herself on the Internet. “I am glad I do this work online, it’s so easy today with Craigslist and all the other sites. I’d hate to be out standing on the street.”

Like record stores, “street walking” prostitutes largely have been pushed out in the digital age. Instead it works much like ordering a

pizza online. Robin posts when she is available, and men almost instantly fill her inbox with replies. Most nights, the petite brunette has her pick of clients.

“Finding guys who want me has never been a problem,” she says absentmindedly scrolling through the two dozen responses she received from last night’s post while sprawled

STORY BY EMILY CHARRIER | PHOTOS BY RASY RAN

Southridge · PENDING

Fenton · SOLD

Human trafficking by the numbers

400

The estimated number of teens trafficked every night on the streets of Dallas

13

The average age an American girl enters the sex trade

$90

The average cost of a trick in America; girls are often required to bring in $1,000 a night

48

The number of hours on the street before a runaway teen is approached by a sex trafficker

96%

Of teens who end up trafficked were abused at home

New Friends New Life is always seeking volunteers who can help with childcare, teaching or offer work experience. Find out more at newfriendsnewlife.org.

Classes

out on the pink floral comforter of her bed that would fit perfectly into a little girl’s bedroom.

In many ways, Robin is a little girl, just one that didn’t get to grow up like little girls should. Born to a mentally ill mother, she ended up in foster care after a neighbor reported seeing her shivering day after day without a coat to keep her warm in the harsh Midwestern winters where she was raised.

At first foster care was a step up, a place where her unmet needs were finally addressed. Then, she says, a relative of her foster family began molesting her at age 9. Her blue eyes cast down as she shrugs off the

didn’t seem like a big deal to do it for him,” Robin says. “You do it a couple of times and you start to go numb.”

She began to see herself as an object, not a human. Knowing that her young age made her more desirable on the streets, she soon began selling herself. She met a man online who agreed to fly her to Dallas. No one seemed to notice when she ran away.

She worked for a pimp for several years, a man more than twice her age who beat her and raped her, but also gave her a place to stay and food to eat. Eventually, she made enough money to move in with a friend she

at New Friends New Life cover business and life skills in addition to healing emotional

scars.

I like doing this? Not especially, but it’s what I choose to do. I’m not some victim.”

Amanda Jones used to think like Robin. Just like Robin, she was sexually abused at home, before turning to the streets as a teenager. She was trafficked for the first time at 15, and spent the next nine years caught in the web of prostitution for a pimp’s financial gain.

“I didn’t ever see myself as a victim,” Jones told KERA radio in an April interview. “You’re just trying to survive at that age, so you don’t see yourself as a victim.”

Jones is now a successful accountant, living in Dallas in a life that is unrecognizable from her time on the street. It wasn’t easy and it didn’t come overnight, but she found support from neighborhood nonprofit New Friends New Life, which works solely with female victims of human trafficking and the sex industry. Of-

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fering classes, job training, counseling and even childcare, the organization seeks to give these women the tools they need to regain control of their life on their own terms.

“We meet the women where they are,” says Lauren Haskins, development director for New Friends New Life. “No one is court-ordered to be here. The women who come here, they’re looking for change.”

On any given night, about 400 teens are trafficked in the commercial sex trade on the streets of Dallas, according to New Friends New Life’s research. The vast majority come from broken homes, girls who slipped through the cracks by neglectful or abusive parents. But others come from good traditional homes, lured into prostitution by manipulative predators,

“A big trend right now is boyfriend pimps. They’re the ones who say ‘I love you, I’ll take care of you’.”

more and more commonly through social media.

“A big trend right now is boyfriend pimps. They’re the ones who say ‘I love you, I’ll take care of you’,” says Haskins. “Anytime you’re involved in any commercial sexual act under the age of 18, you’re being trafficked. You’ll hear us say this a lot, but a child cannot choose to prostitute herself.”

Situated in a non-descript office building near Central Expressway, the address of which is kept confidential to protect clients, New Friends New Life is working to combat human trafficking from all sides. In addition to helping women reestablish themselves after fleeing the life, they work to educate at-risk youth to be savvy and protect themselves from predators; and they look at demand, encouraging men to consider the potential impact of their actions.

“I think the majority of people know human trafficking exists, I don’t think the majority think it’s happening in their backyard,” Haskins says, explaining that her group has worked with girls from a wide swath of neighborhoods and socioeconomic backgrounds.

They are a standing fixture at the Letot Center in Northwest Dallas, a crisis intervention shelter for runaways, children taken by the Department of Family Protective Services and other wayward youth. They work with girls, hoping to catch them before they fall through the cracks and give them the tools needed to avoid street predators. They know, once a girl is back on the street, it’s only a matter of time before she’s at risk.

“After 48 hours on the street, the average runaway will be approached by a trafficker,” Haskins says.

In addition to education, the organization focuses on pushing laws that fight sex trafficking. They’ve set their sights on “johns,” men who are rarely punished for their crimes in Texas, they say. The nonprofit is lobbying for stricter laws that would bring specific consequences to those who pay for sex.

“We see statistics that 85 percent of those buying commercial sex with

children get a suspended sentence, they never see jail time, they never even have a jury,” said New Friends New Life CEO Katie Pedigo in the KERA interview. “That’s something we as a community have to say, ‘No more.’ For there to be true systemic change, we all have to come together and say, particularly with a minor, we are not going to look away, we are going to insist that it be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

The Dallas Police Department was recognized nationally for its diligent and delicate handling of child prostitutes. In 2005 the “High Risk Victims” unit was developed specifically to help repeat runaways get into counseling and away from their pimps, seeking to nip child prostitution in the bud. It proved so successful, in 2007 Congress green lit a $55 million program that would have allowed other police departments to create similar units modeled directly after Dallas’ system (it was later dropped from the federal budget amid a dispute with President George W. Bush, according to a 2009 New York Times article).

New Friends New Life works closely with Dallas police and speaks highly of their continued efforts to fight trafficking on the streets. But it takes investments from all sides. That’s why New Friends New Life works from Congress to the classroom, hoping to pull back the veil on this black market industry to make trafficking part of a wider national discussion.

It’s a discussion Robin is conflicted about. She acknowledges there are girls who are abused and enslaved every day, but doesn’t feel she’s ever been one of them.

“My choices are my choices,” she says emphatically.

As she lines up her night of work, four men and counting, her thoughts return to New Friends New Life. “Maybe I should check them out,” she says. “It’s not like there’s a retirement plan in this business. And I’ll be washed up by the time I’m 24.”

The gospel according to Mark

On a recent afternoon, more than 150 neighborhood residents gathered at the Filter Building at White Rock Lake to hear City Councilman Mark Clayton discuss his one-year anniversary representing District 9.

The crowd was impressive: City Manager A.C. Gonzales, First Assistant Ryan Evans, Chief of Police David Brown and Council colleagues Adam McGough and Carolyn King Arnold.

In some ways, the event had the energy of a campaign rally, not a speech from a Power Point presentation that was distributed to the

audience. Lots of hootin’ and hollerin’. A year into his new job, Clayton seems to have maintained strong support in his constituency to match his 25-point victory over four opponents.

A few days earlier, Clayton sat down with the Advocate to discuss his first year in office.

“It’s been harder than I thought it would be, and it’s been better than I thought it would be,” Clayton says. “You get very few chances to take big swings in life and affect thousands, but it’s an all-encompassing, 24/7 job. I thought I knew, but I really didn’t.”

STORY BY SAM GILLESPIE

Biggest challenge?

“The pace of play,” Clayton says, meaning things move slowly.

“I helped a woman in the district with a pipe issue she has been having for a while. We have a fix in place but it’s going to take a year. That’s frustrating.”

Proudest moment? Without hesitation Clayton replied: “Passing a living-wage ordinance.”

Biggest disappointment? The city’s insistence on legal action to prohibit Exxxotica from coming to the convention center.

“Listen, the council voted against the advice of its own attorney,” Clayton says. What about the recent ruling from District Judge Fitzwater in the City’s favor?

“Just a longer lawsuit and more costs for the city,” Clayton says.

If he had a do-over?

“I did not support extending Dallas United Crew’s time to raise capital to build a private boathouse on White Rock Lake,” Clayton says. “I didn’t have the chance to meet them privately prior to the vote and explain my position. I wish I would have had that chance.”

He seems to be on an extended honeymoon with neighborhood leaders. Most give him good marks but acknowledge he’s still finding his rhythm.

“The first year is always a learning curve. Who to trust and who not to trust,” says former Dallas school board trustee and Greater Casa View leader Leigh Ann Ellis. “He seems to be responsive and eager. I know people appreciate his Facebook page for communication.”

Vicki Martin, president of the Ferguson Road Initiative, believes Clayton is still “surveying the lay of the land.”

“That being said,” Martin says, “there is no doubt in my mind that he wants to serve District 9 and is proactively working to improve it.”

In particular, she points to his support (requested by her group) of

MAY 28 The Killdares

JUNE 4 Rich Girls

JUNE 11 Hard Night’s Day

JUNE 18 Satisfaction

JUNE 25 Escape

6-9 p.m.

JULY 2 Rebirth Brass Band

JULY 9 The Landsharks

JULY 16 Limelight

JULY 23 Petty Theft & The Bird Dogs

JULY 30 The O’s

the Uplift charter rezone at Ferguson and I-30, knowing that Clayton, whose children attend DISD’s Sanger Elementary, is lukewarm to the concept of charter schools in general.

Scott Robson, president of the Lochwood Neighborhood Association, echoes what others say.

“Mark has been a great asset to Lochwood and District 9,” Robson says. “He has been exceptionally responsive to neighborhood issues. What I appreciate almost more than anything, however, is his constant stream of communication via Facebook page. It keeps me from feeling, like I have so often in the past, that I am ‘in the dark’.”

Among the early accolades from neighborhood leaders, there have been some comments regarding Clayton’s consistent alliance with Scott Griggs, Philip Kingston and Adam Medrano on Council votes. Does he have “an independent voice” asks one neighborhood leader?

When addressing this question, Clayton’s earnest persona turns a little darker.

“I am tired of answering that question,” Clayton says. “I know Philip Kingston can be a lightning rod, but if I voted with Sandy Greyson or Mayor Rawlings all of the time, would I get the same questions? I vote my conviction.”

Getting things done in a deliberative body such as the City Council means building relationships. Clayton has forged an alliance with District 4 Councilwoman Carolyn King Arnold. Despite not sharing gender, race, generation or district boundaries, Clayton and Arnold appear to have developed a relationship of mutual support. At Clayton’s districtwide meeting, Arnold was the only other elected official or city staff to take the mic.

Arnold told the group she and Clayton “share a similar commitment to the community” and that Clayton was “not afraid to travel across the Trinity.” Some of their respec-

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tive staff has started calling them “twins.” Arnold said she appreciates Clayton’s “jokes” when the Council is tackling tough issues and needs to relieve some tension in the room.

Arnold, noting her support for more money for street improvements in Clayton’s District 9 after driving to the meeting, made her case to people living in East Dallas for a “real grocery store” in South Dallas.

Two days later, Clayton introduced an amendment to a council resolution approving $3 million for a North Dallas Costco location that requires the City’s Office of Economic Development to come up with a plan to provide $3 million to land a grocery store in the food desert of South Dallas.

Clayton said his amendment was a “sincere attempt to proactively turn around parts of the city in desperate need.”

Don’t ever doubt that all politics are local. While interviewing neighborhood leaders for this story and listening to discussion at Clayton’s district meeting, no Clayton’s work on the (he favors the meandering the proposed Fair Park proposal (he is skeptical to go slow), or the tion (he opposes the Clayton’s first year sured by what’s happening the street, not what’s across town.

In the Advocate interview, gave City Manager A.C. his senior staff a grade ton’s constituents seem olent in their assessment

Clayton might argue higher mark. Either style and optimistic least for the time being, tained the positive momentum ing out of his election year ago.

Clayton seems to job ally seriously; he just doesn’t take himself too seriously.

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WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

JULIE CASSIDY DOES BIG THINGS FOR SMALL CREATURES

East Dallas is crawling with them. Critters, that is.

Remember the recent mini-hysteria over the coyote prowling our streets? Raccoons frequently traipse across our roofs as darkness falls, peering down at us with glowing eyes. The plethora of squirrels provide comic relief with their antics, and opossums make late-night visits to our backyards, looking for snakes, rodents and bugs to eat.

But the natural world is not always a kind place and sometimes the animals who share our neighborhood end up in need. Fortunately for them, a network of wildlife rehabilitators exists, at the ready for the next critter emergency. Among them is neighbor Julie Cassidy.

Because she works full-time for the City of Dallas, Cassidy sensibly limits the animals she can take in. While others welcome bats, skunks, raccoons and rabbits, Cassidy opens her door to squirrels and opossums who don’t require multiple feedings during the day. But her long workday often is bookended with bottle feedings and grub prep.

Like many of her associates, Cassidy stumbled into the wildlife rehab world. About six years ago, she was walking her dogs when one alerted to something interesting in a bush. The dog came out of the bush with a young opossum in her mouth. “She didn’t injure it,” remembers Cassidy, “but I realized it was too young to release back into the wild. So I took it home and contacted a rehabber.”

After checking out the little guy, the rehabber friend then educated Cassidy on its feeding and general care. Inspired, Cassidy soon began volunteering on the DFW Wildlife Coalition Hotline, answering questions about wildlife and connecting needy animals with rehabbers.

One Saturday, a caller to the hotline reported that her dog had killed a momma opossum, leaving six babies orphaned. A search for a rehabber who

could take all six turned up dry, so Cassidy decided to take them in herself. Under the careful supervision of a permitted wildlife rehabilitator credentialed by Texas Parks and Wildlife, Cassidy nursed the little opossums back to health and back into the wild. Hooked, she soon got the paperwork in line to rehab her own creatures. Since then, she has become a member of Texas Metroplex Wildlife Rehabilitators and has attended many a wildlife class, a requirement for maintaining her status.

So how do the squirrels and opossums land at her door? Many are the result of calls to the hotline or from agencies such as Dallas Animal Services. Frequently, distraught callers report that their dog has killed a possum which was caring for babies and they want to help the orphans. In some cases, a baby possum has fallen off of the mom’s back and been separated from its family. Baby squirrels, on the other hand, sometimes fall or are blown out of nests. At times, nests can be casualties of tree trimming.

And did you hear the one about the possum crossing the road? Cassidy recalls receiving a message from fellow rehabber Prudi Koeninger, who had received word about an adult opossum stranded on I-30 in the inside median. Cassidy rushed to the scene and scooped him up. “It was probably a 25to 30-pound possum who was scared to death. Thankfully, it was not injured and just needed to be treated for fleas and get a good meal.” She released it a couple of days later.

When Cassidy takes in a little patient, her first order of business is to bathe, warm and hydrate it. Then she will weigh it on a standard food scale so she’ll know how much to feed it. Squirrels are bottle-fed special formula until they reach a weight of about 200 grams. They are then gradually introduced to solids, such as small bits of apple and shelled pecan pieces.

Baby opossums are not so simple. Instead of a bottle, they are fed through a tube, more closely simulating the natural feeding in the mom’s pouch.

(Photo by Danny Fulgencio)

ED5-16

The little marsupials need to be around 100 grams before they try lapping up formula or yogurt and, later, scrambled eggs and fish.

Just as their mothers would do, Cassidy stimulates the baby squirrels and opossums after every feeding to help them eliminate urine and feces.

In addition to routine feeding, Cassidy is trained to treat the animals’ wounds and administer medication and parasite treatments.

The scale to weigh all those critters? The specialty food? Medicine? Cages and bedding and what-have-you? All out of her pocket, as is the case with every other wildlife rehabber.

Cassidy’s goal, of course, is to return the squirrels and opossums into

the wild. Fortunately, she has just the place: family property near Lake Whitney. “It’s an area where they always have a water source and plenty of land where they’re not threatened by vehicles or people or dogs, just the natural predators.” To date, she’s released about 100 opossums and about 40 squirrels.

But it can be difficult to let go. “You never know if they make it through the first night. I do get anxious for them because all I’ve provided them is shelter and food. I can’t provide them the skills in order to survive in the wild.” Cassidy pauses. “A lot of time and resources and your heart goes into taking care of these babies.”

Find out more at dfwwildlife.org.

PATTI VINSON is a guest writer who has lived in East Dallas for over 15 years. She’s written for the Advocate and Real Simple magazine, and has taught college writing. She is a frequent flyer at Lakewood branch library and enjoys haunting neighborhood estate sales with husband Jonathan and children, Claire and Will. The family often can be found hanging out at White Rock Lake Dog Park with Dexter, a probable JackWeenie.

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HOSPITAL MERGER

Two of East Dallas’ biggest names in healthcare became one recently, when BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE HEALTH and its affiliate Tenet Healthcare Corporation took over operations at DOCTORS HOSPITAL AT WHITE ROCK LAKE. During a May ceremony, the newly anointed BAYLOR SCOTT & WHITE MEDICAL CENTER – WHITE ROCK was unveiled.

“Our intent with this partnership is to take the best of both,” said Brett Lee, Dallas Market CEO at Tenet Healthcare, during the event. “We got the opportunity to work with some really talented people with this partnership.”

The staff at Doctors Hospital will not be impacted, and the hospital will continue to accept all of the major insurance providers, meaning patients should still be able to access their preferred doctors. Doctors Hospital is one of five in North Texas that Baylor and Tenet formed partnerships with this spring. The move does stitch the 57-year-old, 218-bed local hospital into a much larger medical system that now includes 48 hospitals, 6,000 active physicians and 40,000 other employees. Baylor Scott & White Health is the largest nonprofit healthcare provider in the state with total assets of $9 billion.

Brett Lee of Tenet Healthcare, Gary Brock and Jay Krishnaswamy of Baylor Scott & White Medical Center and Rep. Kenneth Sheets.

The lowdown on what’s

EAT UP, DRINK UP

Expressing their deep love for “Smokey and the Bandit,” the owners of the newly opened EASTBOUND AND DOWN ICEHOUSE on Ross Avenue sought to capture the essence of 1970s Americana but with an updated hipster twist. The bar has everything you would expec— taxidermy adornments, mustachedbartenders and a massive mural depicting a classic Old West scene, with an iconic Burt Reynolds depiction coming soon. Owned by Ben Harper (not the singer), the new watering hole is focused on beer and bourbon — keep your craft cocktails to yourself. The patio offers a nice view of Ross Avenue and food offerings should be on the menu soon. Check them out at 3826 Ross Avenue.

Toast has been all the rage in recent food trends, with thick pieces of artisanal bread heaped high with everything from avocado and egg to Nutella and banana. Ross Avenue will be getting in on the frenzy when TOASTED COFFEE + KITCHEN opens in the near future. The restaurant will offer both sweet and savory toasts, as well as sandwiches and grilled cheeses, along with craft beers and cocktails. Co-founders are Joel Roldan and Bob Sinnott, the latter of which also owns Nora on Greenville. Find Toasted Coffee + Kitchen at 5420 Ross Avenue.

Iconic Dallas restaurant group

NORMA’S CAFÉ was busy last month hiring more than 80 positions for its new location at Caruth Plaza, 9100 N. Central Expressway, suite 151. They plan to open this month, offering diners big bites of traditional southern flavor including their famed chicken-fried steak and mile-high pie. This marks their fourth store, with additional locations in North Dallas and Frisco. The original Norma’s Café opened in 1956 in Oak Cliff.

STARBUCKS EVENINGS has debuted in our neighborhood. At 4 p.m., the location at La Vista and Gaston begins to offer wine, craft beers and a selection of tapas, making it more like cafés in Europe. First debuted in Dallas at the Starbucks at the Shops at Park Lane, the concept is catching on quickly and has been unveiled at about a dozen

stores around the city. It should mean big business for the coffee megachain; USA Today reported they expect the new concept to net $1 billion by 2019.

WE’RE IN LAKEWOOD BECAUSE LAKEWOOD IS IN US.

COSTCO’S COMING

After getting a $3 million tax credit from the City of Dallas, COSTCO WHOLESALE is prepped to begin work on a 13-acre property on Coit at Churchill. The retail giant is expected to bring in $16.8 million in sales and property tax in its first 20 years of operation. Costco also will bring an anticipated 225 fulland part-time jobs that pay an average of $22 an hour, but a base of $13, well above both minimum wage at $7.25, and Dallas’ living wage of $10.37. Construction will begin in August, with the store expected to open in February 2017.

NOW OPEN

Jordan and Ashley Garrett recently opened their Lakewood-based ecommerce business, THE BAR CARTIST. It’s been a labor of love, beginning with their own wedding. “One of the first groups of items we added to our [wedding registry] consisted of a stylish bar cart, bar accessories and glassware due to our shared love for craft cocktails and design,” Jordan says. “We quickly found that it was difficult to buy everything you need to stock a home bar or bar cart from one store that also had enough variety to please peoples’ personal style.” An idea was born, and a year later, the business launched online, offering customizable bar carts and accessories in a wide number of styles and price points. Find out more at thebarcartist.com.

DR. LAWRENCE WONG has opened a new dentistry practice at 5815 Live Oak in suite 103. Call 214.396.8890 for more information.

For three decades now, Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate agents have not only represented buyers and sellers seeking to deepen their family’s Lakewood roots, but have put down roots here as well.

If you’d like to leave your own legacy in Lakewood, call us today to learn more about our properties of distinction.

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EDUCATION

MITA HAVLICK and DUSTIN MARSHALL were the top two vote-getters in the May 7 Dallas ISD District 2 board election. Voters will choose the next trustee in the runoff on Saturday, June 18. Find your voting location at dallascountyvotes.org.

The DALLAS INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT is relocating its headquarters to an office building at Central Expressway and Walnut Hill. DISD will pay $46.5 million for the 16-story building. Officials say the move will save money by consolidating offices. DISD will sell the Ross Avenue property that currently is its home base. The new facility will be called the DALLAS ISD EDUCATION CENTER and will host a welcome center, student records archives, parent services office and working space for teachers and staff.

SPORTS

The players of FC DALLAS CENTRAL U9 soccer team earned a spot in the SuperCopa Elite 24 National Championships, where they will play teams from all over the country in a tournament June 3-5 at MoneyGram Soccer Park in northwest Dallas. “In the competitive youth soccer space, it is rare and quite frankly has probably never happened that a team made up of mostly neighborhood kids has gone on to play at this level,” says coach DANIEL RIVAS. Most of the boys attend St. Thomas Aquinas School and began their soccer careers with the Lake Highlands Soccer Association.

CITY HALL

THE CITY OF DALLAS is offering free mosquito dunks — traps that attract mosquitoes, which lay their eggs in standing water. The active ingredient, bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, kills the larvae but does not kill beneficial insects. The city is giving away the dunks at 3112 Canton, suite 100, and 7901 Goforth, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Bring proof of residency, such as a utility bill.

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.

LAKEHILL PREPARATORY SCHOOL

Leading to Success. 2720 Hillside Dr., Dallas 75214 / 214.826.2931 / lakehillprep.org

Kindergarten through Grade 12 - Lakehill 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 opening in August 2016 at 7159 E. Grand Avenue. Please visit our website (DallasSpanishHouse.com) or call 214.826.4410 for a tour.

ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

848 Harter Rd., Dallas 75218 / 214.328.9131 / stjohnsschool.org

Founded in 1953, St. John’s is an independent, co-educational day school for Pre-K through Grade 8. With a tradition for academic excellence, St. John’s programs include a challenging curriculum in a Christian environment along with instruction in the visual and performing arts, Spanish, German, French, and opportunities for athletics and community service.St. John’s goal for its students is to develop a love for learning, service to others, and leadership grounded in love, humility, and wisdom. Accredited by ISAS, SAES, and the Texas Education Agency.

UT DALLAS CHESS CAMP

800 W Campbell Rd., Richardson 75080 / (972) 883-4899 / utdallas.edu/chess ) 2016

Summer Chess Camp Campers learn while they PLAY. Chess develops reading, math, critical and analytical skills, and builds character and self-esteem. Just don’t tell the kids…they think chess is fun! Join beginner, intermediate or advanced chess classes for ages 7 to 14 on the UT Dallas campus. Morning (9am-noon) or afternoon (1-4pm) sessions are available June 13-17, June 20-24, July 18-22, July 25-29 and extended playing classes. Camp includes t-shirt, chess board and pieces, trophy, certificate, score book, group photo, snacks and drinks. Instructors are from among UT Dallas Chess Team Pan-Am Intercollegiate Champions for 2010-2012!

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-of-the-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

advocatemag.com/newmedia

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.

Morning (9

WORSHIP

START, SO YOU CAN FINISH

OF COURSE WE’LL EXERCISE — AS SOON AS WE’RE IN BETTER SHAPE 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 & 11:00am

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

CATHOLIC

DALLAS MINISTRY CONFERENCE / udallas.edu/dmc / Sept. 29 - Oct. 1

Sponsored by the University of Dallas & the Catholic Diocese of Dallas

Sessions on Faith, Scripture, and Ministry / Exhibitors / Music / Mass

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 Lane

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

METHODIST

GRACE UMC / Diverse, Inclusive, Missional

Sunday School for all ages, 9:30 am / Worship, 10:50 am

4105 Junius St. / 214.824.2533 / graceumcdallas.org

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

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!

ST. ANDREW’S PRESBYTERIAN / Skillman & Monticello

Rev. Rob Leischner / www.standrewsdallas.org

214.821.9989 / Sunday School 9:30 am, Worship 10:45 am

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

UNITY ON GREENVILLE / Your soul is welcome here!

3425 Greenville Ave. / 214.826.5683 / www.dallasunity.org

Sunday Service 11:00 am and Book Study 9:30 am

Getting started is always the hardest part.

I started a new fitness regime recently, so I am now the authority on starting and can preach to you. (Insert smiley face.) By next month I’ll probably have to write a column on finishing, as that is right next to starting in the catalogue of failure.

St. Paul thought success in the spiritual life had a parallel in the physical: “Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one.”

Before we get to the spiritual, then, let’s look at the physical.

A recent study of heart-bypass surgery patients showed that 90 percent of those who were told by their doctors that they had to make certain lifestyle changes in order to ensure a healthy future either did not do so, or tried to but quickly reverted back to their old ways. In other words, the report said, “One in nine would rather die than change. Even death was not a sufficient motivator for making changes.”

Similarly, an article on fitness addressed the difficulty of overcoming our excuses for not exercising. Here were some of the top mental evasions: “I’ll exercise as soon as I’m in better shape.” Hmm. That would be never, without exercise. “I’ll exercise as soon as it’s not so uncomfortable.” It will only get more comfortable after you start exercising. “I’ll exercise as soon as my schedule clears up.” Right, and who controls your schedule? “I’ll exercise as soon as I figure out where to start.” Here. Now.

Apparently other people are like me. You?

The poet Billy Collins talks about the difficulty of getting started writing poems. In “Advice to Writers,” he counsels that first you should clean everything in sight — the walls and floors of the study, for instance. Maybe even go outside and wipe off the underside of rocks. Because we all know that “spotlessness is the niece of inspiration./ The more clean, the more brilliant/ your writing will be.” And in “Purity,” he describes his preparation process for writing that includes making a fresh pot of tea, closing the door of his study, carefully taking all his clothes off, and “then I remove my flesh and hang it over a chair./ I slide it off my bones like a silken garment./ I do this so that what I write will be pure.”

We avoid starting in the spiritual life because we know it’s hard work and we want to jump to the end of it right away — being strong and wise without the pain of the process that requires patience for progress. We find every excuse not to start.

Two things can help. Heart patients that succeeded found they did better when they did it with others, and when they focused on the joy of healthy living instead of what they had to give up to get it.

Spiritual fitness is aided by having workout buddies. Find a community of faith that will welcome you when you come and miss you when you don’t. Let others help as you grow together. And keep in mind that the gift of abundant life comes to those who put themselves in position to receive it. You can’t get to the end of where you hope to be without starting where you are. Ready, set, start.

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

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

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 Recover y, 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

MY OFFICE Offers Mailing, Copying, Shipping, Office & School Supplies. 9660 Audelia Rd. myofficelh.com 214-221-0011

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!

Budding artist

Lakehill Preparatory School student Sophia Liu cleaned up at the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools State Art Championship, earning the most awards of any single student, a total of seven medals, and the coveted title of Individual Student Champion. Overall, the school earned enough points for a second place finish in the competition.

LEGAL SERVICES

A FREE CONSULTATION Wills/Probate/Guardianships. Mar yGlennAttorney.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 Ser vices. 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

FREE RANGE PORK & LAMB from local resident’s farm. Hormone & antibiotic free.Heritage Red Wattle pigs. Stock up now laralandfarms.com 214-384-6136

OLD GUITARS WANTED Gibson, Fender, Gretsch, Martin. 1930s-1980s. Top dollar paid. Toll Free 1-866-433-8277

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 ever yone. Call 214-560-4212 or rwamre@advocatemag.com

ESTATE/GARAGE SALES

CLUTTERBLASTERS.COM ESTATE SALES Moving & DownSizing Sales, Storage Units. Organize/De-Clutter Donna 972-679-3100

ORGANIZEANDREJUVENATE.COM

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

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

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

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

CLEANING LADY ALSO WINDOW GUY

110% Always! Great Prices & Refs. Experienced, Dependable. Sunny 214-724-2555

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 twosistersamopmaidser vice.com

WINDOW MAN WINDOW CLEANING.COM

Residential Specialists. BBB. 214-718-3134

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

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 Ser vices. Lic/Insd. E795. 214-850-4891

EXTERIOR CLEANING

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

COMPUTERS & ELECTRONICS

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

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. WindsorMaidSer vices.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

FLOORING & CARPETING

ALL WALKS OF FLOORS 214-616-7641

Carpet, Wood, Tile Sales/Ser vice Free Estimates

HASTINGS STAINED CONCRETE

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

Restoration Flooring

BILL’S COMPUTER REPAIR Virus Removal, Data Recover y Home/Biz Network Install. All Upgrades & Repairs. PC Instruction. No Trip Fee. 214-348-2566

CONCRETE/ MASONRY/PAVING

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 Masonr y 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

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

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

COWBOY

FENCE & IRON CO.

214.692.1991

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

cowboyfenceandiron.com

Northlake Fence and Deck

Locally owned and operated by the Mccaffrey family since1980 214-349-9132

www.northlakefence.com

25+ Years Experience

469.774.3147

Hardwood Installation · Hand Scraping Sand & Finish · Dustless restorationflooring.net

Willeford

har dwood 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@optimumfoundationser vices.com

• Slabs • Pier & Beam

• Mud Jacking • Drainage

• Free Estimates

• Over 20 Years Exp.

972-288-3797

We Answer Our Phones

GARAGE SERVICES

ROCKET GARAGE DOOR SERVICE - 24/7. Repairs/Installs. 214-533-8670. Coupon On Web. www.RocketDoorSer vice.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 Gar y 214-861-7569, 469-878-8044

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

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 HANDYMAN All phases of construction. No job small 214-327-4606

HONEST, SKILLED General Repairs/

WANTED: ODD

Allen’s Handyman

Your Home Repair Specialists

Drywall Doors Senior Safety Carpentry Small & Odd Jobs And More! 972-308-6035 HandymanMatters.com/dallas

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

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

HOUSE PAINTING

• Exterior Painting

• Interior Painting

• Cabinet Makeovers

• Fence Stain

• Fence Repair

www.CertifiedPaintersCo.com 214-500-1021

Tip: The

1. Skim the pools surface by hand and clean out strainer baskets each week.

2. Vacuum and brush the walls and tile once a week to minimize algae buildup.

3. Check the water level weekly.

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

ORTIZ LAWNCARE

TRACY’S

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 Ser vice 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

TK REMODELING 972-533-2872

Complete Full Ser vice 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

#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. arbor wizard.com

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

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

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 Ser vice & Landscape Installation

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 Ser vice & Repair Specializing In Older Copper Systems. LI #13715. 214-283-4673

PEST CONTROL

A BETTER EARTH PEST CONTROL

Keeping the environment, kids, pets in mind. Organic products avail. 972-564-2495

MCDANIEL PEST CONTROL

Prices Start at $85 + Tax For General Treatment.

Average Home-Interior/Exterior & Attached Garage. Quotes For Other Services.

214-328-2847. Lakewood Resident

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

SPECK PLUMBING Over 30 Yrs Exp. Licensed/Insured. 214-732-4769, 214-562-2360

214-328-7371

MetroFlowPlumbing.com

Lic.# M16620

PLUMBING

REMODELING

Chandler Design Group Design / Build / Renovate we'll turn your vision into reality

Heath Chandler 214.938.8242

www.chandlerdesigng roup.com

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

Bob McDonald Company, Inc. BUILDERS/REMODELERS

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

214-341-1155

bobmcdonaldco.net

ROOFING & GUTTERS

GUARDIAN ROOFING & SOLAR

Roof Repair & Solar Installation. Project Mgr. John Beasley 214-772-7362 guardianroofingandsolar.com

BERT

Jeff Godsey Roofing Roof Repair Specialist

• Exterior

HOUSE OF DEBT

Debt can be a useful financial tool, for cities as well as individuals. But we’ve got to be smart about it.

Let’s say a family wants to buy a house. Most people don’t save up hundreds of thousands of dollars for a home then pay the full purchase price in cash. They put some money down, take out a mortgage, then pay it back over 30 years. That’s smart debt.

But let’s say the new homeowners don’t take care of their house. Let’s say they put off regular home maintenance and when problems arise, they either ignore them or fix them as cheaply as possible. When the ceiling leaks, they don’t tend to the aging roof and loose shingles where the rain seeped in; they just plunk a pot under the drip. They spackle cracks along the wall but ignore the increasingly catawampus foundation that caused them. They hang a new wreath on the door but don’t bother touching up the chipped paint around the windows where the wood is slowly beginning to rot.

In a few short years, these homeowners will be shelling out big bucks for a new roof, new piers, new beams, and new window casings — none of which would have been necessary had they just made smaller, smarter investments along the way.

Cities, like houses, require regular maintenance. When a city doesn’t regularly invest in its streets and parks and fire stations, it ends up

spending a lot more money on major overhauls down the road. This “deferred maintenance” is a problem in Dallas, and it has become a vicious, expensive cycle.

Here’s how this plays out at city hall: Over the years, the city allocates less and less of its annual operating budget for street maintenance. A street that should have been resurfaced is instead patched temporarily. Potholes accumulate until the situation becomes dire. Now the street must be totally rebuilt. But there are no funds to pay for something expensive like street reconstruction, so what can the city do?

Dallas City Hall’s answer has been: Borrow the money.

The problem is that this starts the city on a debt spiral. The city borrows the money to rebuild the street, but it’s got to pay back the debt. The debt repayment eats into the already scarce operating budget dedicated to street maintenance, leaving the city with less and less money to spend on regular street repair.

Hence, deferred maintenance keeps getting deferred. And we have to keep borrowing just to keep up.

It’s like the neglectful homeowners, using credit cards to pay for their expensive new roof. If they couldn’t afford to make modest improvements to their roof before, now they’ll have an even tougher time, as their monthly credit card bill eats into more and more of their income.

This is a tough cycle to break once it starts, and it takes discipline and time.

The city will be coming to voters next spring asking us to approve a bond program that will allow the city

to borrow around $800 million, a large chunk of which will be used to pay for major street improvements. The city council is evaluating moving Dallas toward a “pay as you go” model, so that we would borrow less and less, and also pay back less and less in debt service, and then use the savings to fund the regular maintenance we’ve been ignoring.

No doubt Dallas needs to move away from deferring maintenance on its infrastructure then playing catch up by digging deeper and deeper into debt. But we also shouldn’t make the mistake of treating all debt as bad debt. It’ll always be smarter to borrow money at a low interest rate to pay for major capital investments like citywide flood control upgrades or major street reconstruction, than to wait years to save up hundreds of millions of dollars and pay cash for those investments.

Debt isn’t the enemy. It’s a useful, cost-effective tool. The City of Dallas just has to learn to use it correctly.

ANGELA HUNT is a neighborhood resident and former Dallas City Councilwoman in East Dallas. 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 at 6301 Gaston, Suite 820, Dallas 75214; FAX to 214.823.8866; or email ahunt@advocatemag.com.

Cities, like houses, require regular maintenance. When a city doesn’t regularly invest in its streets and parks and fire stations, it ends up spending a lot more money on major overhauls down the road.

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