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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JULY YARD OF THE MONTH
If it seems like Ashland Avenue is dominating this year’s Yard of the Month competition, you are correct. This month’s winner at 2101 Ashland Avenue is the third Ashland yard to win the award in 2026.
There must be some special kind of friendly secret competition along the two blocks of Ashland Avenue between Camp Bowie Boulevard and El Campo Avenue. This month’s winner is the fifth Ashland house to receive the AHNA Yard of the Month award in less than two years.
When Texas State Representative Charlie Geren bought 2101 Ashland in 2014, he faced a completely stark, barren lot with no landscape or buildings on it. Besides designing and constructing a new home, Charlie had to start from scratch on the yard. By 2016, everything was finally ready for Charlie to move in with his wife Mindy Ellmer, a consultant who lives part time in Austin.
“I am very honored to receive this award,” Charlie says. “But all the credit goes to Circle G Services.” Clay McCook, owner of Circle G Services, designed the landscape layout, installed everything and has maintained it ever since. McCook still keeps close tabs on fine tuning everything. He says the front border of Magellan zinnias have begun to play out and will be changed out soon. Stay tuned for what is coming next.
At the end corners of the zinnia beds are blue salvia shrubs that are thriving and in full bloom from the summer heat. Behind the zinnias is a line of boxwoods that continue over to the adjoining beds of barberry shrubs.
Seven large blue pots along the front of the house are filled with Leland cypresses. White vinca and lime green sweet potato vines spill over the sides.
The vibrant green lawn is Tifway 419 Bermuda. “We’re learning as we go about what can grow well here,” says Mindy. Even though azaleas can be challenging in Fort Worth gardens, there’s a pink and red hedge of them along the east side of the house. “Charlie wanted them because that’s what was at his father’s home,” explains Mindy. Incidentally, Charlie’s father and grandfather, Preston Geren, Sr. and Preston Geren, Jr., were both highly regarded Fort Worth architects whose designs include local landmarks Arlington Heights High School and Farrington Field, among many other well-known buildings throughout the area.
Mindy describes the trees on the property as “a labor of love.” Two live oaks were planted to face Ashland Avenue; along Bryce Avenue are two October Glory maples and a Chinese pistache.
When Charlie is not tending to business at the Texas House of Representatives or overseeing the Railhead Smokehouse that he has owned since 1986, you very well might find him and Mindy sitting on their front porch enjoying their yard and the native fauna who they share it with.
Congratulations to Charlie and Mindy for being selected as AHNA’s July Yard of the Month. 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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SIGN UP FOR COMMUNITY ACADEMY CLASSES
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HAPPY JULY 4TH!
Saturday is the day for us to celebrate our nation’s big TWO-FIVE-O milestone birthday. Wherever your plans take you on that day, AHNA hopes good times and good company are part of it. That includes playing it safe and drinking plenty of water.
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