Dear CDA,

As I assume the chair of the Cultural District Alliance, I thought it might be appropriate to introduce myself to you, our members. I first want to thank the exemplary leadership of Max Holderby and of previous chairs. We have seen unprecedented growth in the Cultural District since I first began working in the district, and this organization of members and volunteer leadership has become integral in the success of our neighborhood.

Fort Worth has always been home to me, but being an Air Force brat, it wasn’t until I came to TCU that I finally moved here. Even though I lived all over the world, it was always the Cultural District that I associated with Fort Worth. When we would visit family during the holidays, we would always spend time in the museums and Botanic Gardens. So, when I began working at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, it just felt like home.

I have now been at the Modern for 17 years. In that time, I have watched well over a billion dollars of investment happen in our district (a very conservative estimate). What was once a collection of industrial warehouses, car lots, and the Acme Brick headquarters, now is one of the most vibrant and urban communities in Fort Worth. With all of that growth, we have encountered a long list of challenges, but CDA has always been at the table to ensure our members’ voices are heard.

Despite all of the growth we have experienced, I am regularly reminded that we are by no means finished. We consistently see new building permits filed every month, major transportation projects that effect traffic, mobility, and pedestrian access are being addressed all over the Cultural District, and new facilities like Dickies Arena will energize and engage the western boundaries of our area.

As we continue to grow, CDA will work with our membership on issues that arise. I hope that over the next few months, you will see more opportunities to interact with us and other members at events and public meetings, as well as see this newsletter on a more regular basis where you will find information about some of the varied projects that CDA is working on. And please let us know how we are doing. I look forward to this opportunity to work with everyone.

Best,

Dustin Van Orne

Future Class A Office Space | 464 Bailey Avenue

About the Property

Property to be redeveloped as Class A Boutique Office with views to the east and south of Downtown and the West 7th Corridor and museums.

464 Bailey sits between Bailey Avenue on the east, 4th Street to the south, Hamilton Avenue to the north and Arch Adams Street to the west.

Well situated within the Cultural District, 464 Bailey is adjacent to some of Fort Worth’s most sought after single and multi-family neighborhoods and has immediate access to some of the City’s most touted attractions and developments, making it a prime location to attract and retain a talented workforce.

464 Bailey.pdf

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The Fort Worth Public Library committed in its 2019-2021 strategic plan to reduce barriers to access libraries throughout the city. With that goal in mind, the Library is expanding hours at all locations beginning April 7.

The expanded hours provide an additional 20 hours a week for patrons to visit regional libraries, 14 more hours a week at local branches and an additional eight hours at the Central Library downtown. Colocation branches with Fort Worth Housing Solutions will maintain their current hours of operation.

The Central Library and regional libraries will now be open seven days a week, and all neighborhood branches throughout the city will be open six days a week.

Individuals and families can now enjoy more evening hours. Monday through Thursday, all branches are open until 8 p.m. and until 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Locations with Sunday hours will also be open until 6 p.m.

The Fort Worth Fire Department is accepting applications for firefighters.

Applicants must be 18 years old and cannot have reached 36 at the time of the test. Applicants must have a high school diploma, GED or 12 credits from an accredited college or university.

The application process runs through March 10. A Civil Service test will be conducted on April 2. Learn more on the fire recruitment web page or text FWFD to 555888.

FWFD has an authorized strength of 925 Civil Service positions. The department staffs 43 stations and responds to 118,000 calls a year.

Fort Worth’s new flood warning information web page is designed to provide real-time flood warning risk levels to protect people from hazardous flood conditions.

The flood warning information is generated from monitored low-water road crossing flashers at 52 locations throughout the city, which warns drivers in the immediate area of a flood hazard by flashing warning lights. At the same time, text and email alerts to emergency responders are issued when water-level sensors of each flasher system are triggered by rising water.

The new website shows drivers in real time whether the road crossing near their home, workplace, school or any location on their commute, is a flood risk before they even arriving at the location.

The real-time conditions will indicate either:

• No known threat (“NONE”), in green.
• Potential conditions for flooding (“CAUTION”), in yellow.
• Or that the road crossing has overtopped with water (“AVOID”), in red.

A grant from the Texas Water Development Board provided development support for system improvements, and stormwater utility fees funded the project. too.

One of the benefits of the flood warning system is that weather data (mainly rainfall) is collected at 39 existing and 20 new dedicated weather stations, along with stations belonging to regional partners. This real-time weather data helps to better predict the movement and intensity of rainfall coming into Fort Worth, which allows for advance warning as storms head our direction.

To learn more, contact Jennifer Dyke at 817-392-2714.

Though there’s no shortage of hotels in Fort Worth’s cultural district, a Home2 Suites hotel is under construction at the northeast corner of University Drive and West Lancaster Avenue. It will be equidistant from the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and Casa Manana.

Home2 Suites is a brand under the Hilton umbrella. The brand is a pet-friendly, extended-stay hotel. There is another Home2 Suites location in Fort Worth, at 5401 SW Loop 820.

The hotel is slated to open to 2020, though dates may shift depending on construction schedules.

Nice weather, free fares and the desire to experience TEXRail combined to set a new weekend ridership total of nearly 20,000 in two days for the new commuter rail line. With 10,477 on Saturday and 9,111 on Sunday, the total ridership of 19,588 eclipsed the previous weekend record of 18,002, which was set during the three-day holiday weekend that included Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

“The number of people choosing to ride TEXRail continues to exceed our expectations,” said Trinity Metro President/CEO Paul J Ballard. “We offered complimentary fares in January because we wanted everyone to experience TEXRail, and we are delighted that so many North Texans and tourists are riding.”

Prior to this weekend, MLK Day had the highest daily ridership with 8,287 passengers. Since service began on Jan. 10, the grand total is 82,733.

Beginning Feb. 1, the local fare for TEXRail will be $2.50 one way or $5 for a local day pass, which includes all Trinity Metro bus and rail service in Tarrant County. A regional day pass is $12 and includes all Trinity Metro, Dallas Area Rapid Transit and Denton County Transportation Authority trains and buses.

Trinity Metro is the owner and operator of TEXRail, a 27-mile commuter rail line that runs from downtown Fort Worth to Dalla- Fort Worth International Airport’s Terminal B.

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Mayor Betsy Price will detail her outlook for 2019 and report on the past year’s advancements at the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce’s annual Mayor’s State of the City Address and Luncheon Feb. 19 at the Fort Worth Convention Center, 1201 Houston St.

Registration begins at 11:15 a.m., lunch will be served at 11:45 a.m. and the program begins at 12:30 p.m. Purchase tickets through the Chamber website.

In addition, top Tarrant County businesses have been selected as finalists in competition for the Chamber of Commerce’s 2019 Forte Awards. Winners will be announced at a reception before the State of the City address. The prestigious annual awards salute those that operate with exemplary best practices.

The 26th annual Party in Fort Worth, is an opportunity to celebrate what makes our community a great place to live, work and play. Wear cocktail attire and be ready to dine and dance on Feb. 23 at the Fort Worth Convention Center Ballroom.

The Party in Fort Worth is an annual event benefiting the Fort Worth Promotion and Development Fund. The fund, which is governed by a 13-member board, invests funds to promote Fort Worth before regional, national and international cultural, business, sports and governmental organizations. The Promotion Fund also provides resources for the development of local events, attractions and exhibits that enhance Fort Worth’s ability to recruit business and leisure visitors. The Fort Worth Promotion and Development Fund puts Fort Worth on the map, and recently supported the Fort Worth pavilion at SXSW.

To learn more about the party, contact Linda Fulmer by email or at 817-451-8740.

Mayor Jean-Paul Fournier of Nîmes, France, and a delegation will travel to Fort Worth Feb. 12-17 to sign the official document to become Fort Worth’s ninth sister city.

The official signing will take place between Mayor Betsy Price and Fournier at a ceremony at 6 p.m. Feb. 13 at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and is free and open to the public.

“Fort Worth is excited to formally welcome Nîmes as our ninth sister city. We look forward to fostering business relationships and expanding cultural exchange opportunities through this partnership,” Price said.

Price will lead a delegation to Nîmes (pronounced NEEM) Sept. 25-Oct. 4 to sign the reciprocal agreement there. Residents are encouraged to join the group on the official visit.

Fort Worth Sister Cities International launched a long-range plan to select new sister cities in countries where they can build mutually beneficial relationships through education, exchanges and commerce. In 2017, Sister Cities sent a delegation to explore the potential partnership with Nîmes, France. A delegation reciprocated with a visit in 2018 to Fort Worth and quickly moved to make the partnership official.

“We are already making plans to welcome our new French friends and share our finest Texas culture,” said Sister Cities Chairwoman of the Board Veronica Chavez Law. “Future exchanges may focus on education, economic relations and arts and culture to create understanding and respect of each other’s cultures.”

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