City Council
A Letter from
Councilmember Vonciel Jones Hill
Dear Residents,
Once again, I am delighted to report to you about the activities and successes of the District during the past year. As a District, we continue to be on the move!
Clean, graffiti-free neighborhoods remains a top District priority. Our May 2008 “Trash Attack and Graffiti Wipeout” – like our earlier “Trash Attack” – brought together City employees and neighborhood volunteers to remove litter, debris and graffiti in neighborhoods around the Singing Hills and Pleasant Oaks Recreation Centers. The high level of community participation in this initiative highlights the pride that residents take in our neighborhoods.
In August 2008, more than 2,500 residents participated in our first annual “Grove Fest”. Jointly sponsored by the City of Dallas, Pleasant Grove Mission Possible, Inc., Carnival Supermarket, Minyard Food Stores, and Sack’n Save, this awesome event highlighted Pleasant Grove businesses and City of Dallas services. Special thanks are due to Dr. Shirley King of Pleasant Grove Weed and Seed, Mr. Keith McKeague of Mission Possible, and Mr. Steven Williams and Ms. Glenda Aguirre of the City of Dallas, for making this Pleasant Grove extravaganza truly “PLEASANT”.
Additionally, in Pleasant Grove, Eastfield College broke ground on a new campus that will open in September 2009. This beautiful and technologically advanced facility will bring much needed educational resources to an historically underserved segment of our District.
In the Oak Cliff sector of the District, we were able to provide the financial resources to purchase the building on Westmoreland that had been slated to open as an adult video store. Teaming finances and District 8 activism enabled us to prevent what would have become a blight on our area. Instead, the building is a City-owned facility that will house a code enforcement office.
While I am proud to report our successes, I look forward to working with you, and for you, on our continuing challenges. These include:
- Retail development in and around the Lancaster corridor
- Enhanced code enforcement throughout the District
- Continued crime reduction throughout the District
Please continue to partner with me as we work for the betterment of our District. I continue to believe that “together we can make a difference.”
Grace and peace . . .
Vonciel Jones Hill
Councilmember