AUGUST MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Summer vacation is officially over. School is back in session. AHNA worker bees are humming along. We return to the regular monthly meeting schedule of every third Tuesday.
Tuesday August 18 at 6:30 p.m.
Fort Worth Firefighters Hall 3855 Tulsa Way at Crestline Rd.
Special guest speaker: Fort Worth City Councilwoman Macy Hill
Councilwoman Macy Hill is starting her 4th year of representing Arlington Heights in all city matters.
Councilwoman Hill will bring us up to speed about the top issues facing Fort Worth and Arlington Heights. There will be time for questions and answers from the audience. This is a unique opportunity to meet your elected official at the City and to share with her your concerns and ideas. Don’t miss this meeting!
Our Neighborhood Patrol Officer always gives a brief crime report. You don’t need to be a member to attend. Our meetings are always open to everyone. AHNA meetings are BYOB, so feel free to bring your own alcoholic beverages to enjoy and/or share.
There is an accessible entrance on the east side of the building for anyone not wishing to use the stairs.
Thank you Fort Worth Coffee for providing the perfect space for the monthly AHNA Executive Board meetings.
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VOICE YOUR OPINIONS ABOUT 2027 PROPOSED CITY BUDGET WEDNESDAY AUGUST 12
The City of Fort Worth is facing a significant budget shortfall for 2027. There’s no getting around the mandate for cutting expenditures. But where? Come to the public hearing this Wednesday to find out and voice your opinions. Councilwoman Hill will be in attendance, along with City of Fort Worth staff. Wednesday, August 12 @ 6:00 p.m.
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 12 @ 6:00 P.M. Fort Worth Botanic Garden, 3220 Botanic Garden Blvd.
If you can’t attend in person, the meeting will be broadcast live on the City’s YouTube channel and the City’s TV website at fortworthtexas.gov/FWTV. Questions and comments can be submitted before and during the meeting at www.connectfw.com.
For more information about the proposed FY2027 budget, additional engagement opportunities, and the full schedule of public meetings, go to fortworthtexas.gov/FY2027.
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FREE FAMILY-FRIENDLY MUSIC CONCERT SATURDAY AUGUST 15
Saturday August 15 at 6:00 p.m. is the Fort Worth Public Library’s Amplify 817 Showcase event celebrating local musicians. The free event is at Birdie’s Social Club, 2737 West 5th St. Food and drinks (including alcoholic) are available for purchase. No outside food or beverages are allowed.
Click here to learn more about the Amplify 817 Showcase.
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I-30 WEST EXPANSION PUBLIC HEARING
Texas Department of Transportation is hosting a public hearing regarding the proposed I-30 West Project, which includes the widening of Interstate 30 from I-820 to Camp Bowie Boulevard. Learn about the project, ask questions, and provide feedback.
In-Person Open House
Tuesday, August 18 5–7 p.m.
Education Service Center Region 11, 1451 S. Cherry Lane, White Settlement, TX
Virtual Public Hearing available online August 18 through September 2 at www.TxDOT.gov (search “I-30 West Public Hearing”)
Written comments will be accepted through September 2, 2026.
Whether attending in person or online, participants will have the opportunity to review project information, speak with the project team, and submit comments. If you have questions about the project, please contact Anil Kaphle, TxDOT Project Manager, Anil.Kaphle@txdot.gov, (817) 370-6561.
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AUGUST YARD OF THE MONTH
In less than three months, the landscape at 4337 Birchman Avenue has been transformed into a whimsical English garden using native and adaptive perennials.
What makes August’s Yard of the Month so amazing is that it’s been planned, designed and installed in such a short time. Elizabeth Starr moved to the vintage English Tudor home in early May of this year. Thirty days later, the remarkable makeover of her side yard facing Ashland Avenue was completed, featuring a variety of colorful flowers brimming over the beds. Then, it was time to tackle the front yard.
It has been the ultimate do-it-yourself project carried out by Elizabeth, along with her brother William Starr and father Mark Starr, both of whom are seasoned amateur landscapers. The project has been a family collaboration, but Elizabeth credits William and Mark as the masterminds. William and Mark created the plan and did the heavy lifting to make it happen. No professionals have been involved, except for an arborist brought in to consult about the damaged and dying Bradford pear tree. While Elizabeth went to work every day as the Chief Financial Officer of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, William and Mark labored in the yard, long after the days began to heat up. “We wanted to create a whimsical garden that reflected the architecture of this historic vintage home,” explains William. The goal was to create different textures, heights, shapes and colors, using native and highly adaptive perennials, according to Mark.
Only a few plants that were in the original landscape remain, including a very large crepe myrtle on the west side of the home, some orange daylilies, and two large mulberry trees near Birchman Avenue. The aforementioned Bradford pear was removed at the recommendation of the arborist who advised that it had been irreparably damaged during a cold snap and had “lived its life.” A new tree is being planned to replace it in the coming months. It will not be a Bradford pear.
William and Mark enlarged the front yard plant beds, curving them with new metal edging. The soil was substantially amended with expanded shale, crushed granite and dried molasses and topped off with Texas hardwood mulch. Then, the beds were planted with a wide variety of perennials, including society garlic, wild bergamot, Siberian and Japanese iris, coneflowers, rock roses, gaura, pincushion flowers, bulbine, agastache, tickseed, skullcap, Mexican petunias, primroses, dianthus, blue astra, blackfoot daisies, purslane and ice plants.
Two very large pots of hydrangeas are thriving on the front porch. To the side of them are Sky Pencil hollies. Texas sage is planted below the windows and is framed by cleyera. Oakleaf hollies screen the wood fence. For a colorful accent, a Japanese Green Maple tree was planted in the east bed. In the center of the east lawn is a large stand of red salvia.
For now, everything is lovingly hand watered until the broken automatic irrigation system gets fixed. Coming soon.
Elizabeth counts herself lucky to have the help and support of her talented family and considers herself even luckier to be living in the “best neighborhood.” Having interned at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, she is thrilled with her new job at the Modern because it combines her longstanding passion for the arts with her robust business background gained from her years of working at Ernst & Young in Dallas.
Congratulations to the Starr family for the beautiful yard they created in record time all by themselves. They received a $25 gift certificate to Archie’s Gardenland and a year’s membership in Arlington Heights Neighborhood Association, courtesy of AHNA.
If you see an award-worthy yard, even your own, please let us know by sending the address to president@arlingtonheightsna.com.
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VOTE FOR FORT WORTH IN SCENIC CITY PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD COMPETITION
Fort Worth has been nominated for the Scenic City People’s Choice Award presented by Scenic Texas. Please cast your vote to demonstrate the pride we take in making Fort Worth a beautiful place to live, work and play.
This award recognizes certified Scenic Cities that go above and beyond in preserving and enhancing their community through beautification, environmental stewardship, thoughtful development and high-quality public spaces. If you’re proud of the work happening across Fort Worth, please take a minute to cast your vote for Fort Worth.
It’s easy to vote:
- Visit ScenicTexas.org.
- Scroll down to the People’s Choice Award section.
- Select Fort Worth from the list of certified Scenic Cities.
- Click Vote to submit your ballot.
Voting is open through October 30, 2026. One vote per IP address is allowed.
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NO JULY MEMBERSHIP MEETING REMINDER
AHNA will not be meeting this coming Tuesday July 21. School is out, everyone is on vacation, and it’s really hot —just a few of the reasons AHNA always takes a break in July.
We look forward to seeing everyone at the AHNA membership meeting on Tuesday August 18 at the regular time and place: 6:30 p.m. at Fort Worth Firefighters Hall, 3855 Tulsa Way at Crestline Road. Guest speaker will be our local representative Fort Worth City Councilwoman Macy Hill.
Stay cool and hydrated y’all.
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