We met with representatives from the Army Corps of Engineers today. On our side we had about 30 people representing the cycling communities, ex-mayors, current mayors, representatives from many other government agencies and a rep from Congressperson's Kay Grainger's office. Our goal was to convince the Corps to rethink their decision and maintain the status quo. What we ended up with was both potentially long term better, but perhaps short term worse.

In short the Corps will be separating campers from cyclists. This is not just in Benbrook, but across the nation. Benbrook is behind most of the other parks in this regard. We gained a short reprieve today and the date is now Jan 1. This date is now set.

That being said, the Corps seems extremely willing to work with us and the other government agencies to achieve some other solution. They have many examples of working with others to achieve desirable results, so there is both precedence and expectation.

Our next steps are to establish a coalition of concerned agencies and clubs to come up with a solution. The Corps would participate. Members of the club will be involved.

Craig has done a fantastic job gathering people together, and finding the right people. It's hard to believe a 2.4 mile stretch of road would garner such interest. The people in the room are a who's who of cycling and Ft Worth government. If you see Craig, thank him for his efforts.

So what can you do??

1. Any and all altercations with the gate attendants must stop immediately. Cyclists can't be the bad guys in this scenario. Follow their instructions.
2. Stop at the gate, going both directions. Do NOT blow through the gate. Show your pass. Wait in line with the cars if need be.
3. Be calm and patient with the gate attendants. Be friendly. These people have infinitely more influence with the Corps than we do.
4. Follow the normal rules of the road. Stop at STOP signs, ride on the right, no more than 2 abreast. 
5. Stay on the main road. Go over Nice hill for now. Walk your bike up the hill if you need to. Stay off of the smaller feeder roads, dont go exploring.

More info to come in the upcoming weeks.

Thanks

Stephen & Craig

If you aren't up to date on the situation, the Corps of Engineers has made a decision to restrict cyclists from the South Holiday Park beginning Oct 1. This would completely prohibit cyclists between the south gate and the one in the middle we ride around. This decision was made without any cooperation from the cycling community, and we are working to reverse the action.

Some background

• Craig Roshaven worked with the previous Park Ranger Terry Schmidt, to achieve the current compromise for Nice hill, where seniors can take the bypass and avoid the hill in either direction.
• During their conversations, Terry did not mention having issues with cyclists, nor ask for any help policing the group.
• Terry has retired, and a new person has taken over as head Ranger.
• Craig has been heading up the efforts to discuss the issue with the Corps, gathering stakeholders from all over the cycling community, Mayors, Governors, HOA representatives, a really impressive group.
• During their conversations, Terry did not mention having issues with cyclists, nor ask for any help policing the group.
• Terry has retired, and Lyndy Black is new head Ranger.
• Craig has significant experience with public advocacy. He has participated, most often as the lead negotiator, in hundreds of meetings with elected and appointed public officials including Mayors, City Council members, country commissioners, state legislators, country sheriffs, city police chiefs, and members of the U.S. Congress.  
• Craig has been heading up the efforts to discuss the issue with the Corps, gathering stakeholders from all over the cycling community, Mayors, Governors, HOA representatives, a really impressive group.

The primary reason the Corps is planning to restrict cyclists from South Holiday Park is the number of incidents that have occurred in the last few months.  Most of us don’t need to do anything different than what we have been doing at the Lake.

• When you’re entering the South Gate, make a full stop to present your pass to the Gate Attendant. Don’t try to convince the Gate Attendants about any aspect of Park policy. It will just annoy them and waste your time. 
• Don’t ride more than two abreast.  Stay on the main road. If you stop, make sure you’re not blocking the road. 
• If you can’t make it up and over Nice Hill, I suggest you walk up it. I did it the other day and it took me 90 seconds. We’ve all needed to walk a hill that’s too steep to ride. Let’s not use the bypass around it until we get the larger issue of even being allowed to ride up Nice Hill resolved. 

We can ride on the road that goes down by restrooms near the South Gate. As you are entering the park from Pearl Ranch though the South Gate, that road is the first right. Please stay off the roads that come off that road. That is one of the most frequent violations of policy. We can use the Restrooms on that road.  Recently some of the Gate Attendants have told us we can't use that road. According to Ranger Lyndy Black, we are allowed to use that road and the restrooms. 

Some groups of cyclists have repeatedly and flagrantly broken the rules, not just of the park but of common courtesy and sense. Leaders in our community have identified the groups involved and are speaking to them. If a park ranger sees a cyclist or a group of cyclists flagrantly disrespect the rules of the park and of common courtesy and sense, we have urged them to issue a citation. We cannot and will not tolerate anyone who makes the park unsafe for others. If you know a cyclist or group of cyclists who is acting in a way that will reflect badly on all of us, please speak to that person or persons and demand they stop it, at least in the Park. 

The best argument we can make to the Corps for keeping South Holiday Park open to us is that we, the cyclists who regularly use the Park, will do all we can to make sure all cyclists ride in a way that is consistent with public safety and respectful of all Park Staff.  We can help the Rangers in their mission to keep the Park safe for all of its users. We are on the same side. We are allies, not adversaries. 

Coverage

A few of the stakeholders, including Craig and I, were interviewed this week by a reporter from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and another reporter from the Fort Worth Report. The reporter from the Fort Worth report thinks his piece will be published Monday.  https://fortworthreport.org/ 

Here is the link to the Star Telegram article. You may need a subscription to access.

So what can you do?

1. A petition was started by Christel Chase to “Allow Cyclist and Walkers access to South Holiday Park.” As of now, it has 1,159 signatures. Add your signature here.  You can forward this link to others as well.
2. It would also be helpful to send a message to your Member of Congress, especially if you live in Rep. Kay Granger’s district. To send an email to Rep. Granger, use this page on her website: https://kaygranger.house.gov/email
   

3. If you want to send an email to the USACE, I recommend you send it to:

   Stefan E. Flores

   Lake Manager - Benbrook Lake
   Trinity Region
   US Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District
   7001 Lakeside Dr.
   Fort Worth, TX 76123
   Office: 817-292-2450

   Stefan.E.Flores@usace.army.mil 
   
   

4. If you live in Fort Worth, it would be helpful to send an email to Mayor Mattie Parker: mayor.mattie@fortworthtexas.gov  She is working to help us reverse this policy so thank her for her support.  It’s always good to show support for the politicians who are supporting you.

5. The same goes for Mayor Jason Ward of Benbrook: mayor@benbrook-tx.gov. 

6. Be patient. Resolution of this issue is the highest priority for the FWBA board. We realize how important this 5 mile stretch of road is to all of us and will do everything we can to maintain the status quo.

What happens Next??

We have scheduled an in person meeting with Rick Bumgarder, Chief Public Affairs, Fort Worth District USACE,  between the local cycling community and USACE staff on Friday, August 18, 2023 at high noon. We think we will be able to finalize the location this week. Craig, Dorsey Plunk and I will represent the club. 

Before that meeting, we will host a Zoom call with the stake holders, so we are all on the same page, and can speak with one voice. This should take place this Thursday, July 27.

Stakeholders

A list of the stakeholders is below. If you know any of these people, or come across them, please express your gratitude for their willingness to be involved.

1. FWBA
2. Rusty Chain Gang
3. MBBC
4. Team Elevate
5. Clear Fork Bicycle Club
   
6. Deerwood Forest HOA
   
7. Tiger Trail HOA
   
8. Paragon Cycling
   
9. City of Benbrook
   
10. Peaks Coaching Group
11. Fort Worth Bike Patrol Support Group
12. Knuckleheads
    
13. Arundel Bicycle Company
    
14. Betsy Price
    

More info and details as we have them.

Thanks

Stephen & Craig

Click on the link to conform the 2023 board members. You may notice there are several empty seats! If you are interested in serving on the board and playing a bigger role, please let a board member know!!

•  Want to be Involved with the FWBA Board?

  Well, what does the board do? The board helps set the course for the club, pays the bills, and helps with all the events you enjoy with the club. There wouldn’t be a club in its present form without a board. The club has had a board since inception.

  We didn’t have elections for 2023. Many things contributed to this mis-step, but we’re going to remedy the situation quickly. Generally, a nominating committee would take several months to ask who may be interested, make a bunch of phone calls, and make recommendations to the board. Given its already March, we’re going to accelerate the process a bit.  We have an interim board in place consisting of 2022 members. 2023 elections will be held on March 25.

  If you are interested in serving on the FWBA board, now is your time to raise your hand. The board has a wide range of roles and responsibilities to suit any interest. The time involved is minimal.

  All Board positions are available.

• President – Establish direction for the club and support the established goals.
• Vice President – Assists the other board members, fills in for President as neede
• Ride Director – Responsible for scheduling rides, ride leaders and maintenance of the web site. Probably the busiest of the board members.
• Treasurer – Maintains the financial aspects of the club.
• Communications Director – Responsible for all communications for the club, Facebook, IG, notifications, etc.
• Special Events Director – Responsible for planning and scheduling the club’s special events. Austin to Ft Worth, Club Picnic, Christmas Party, Ft Davis, Leakey, etc.
• Secretary – Responsible for recording the events during board meetings and making the minutes available, assisting other board members.

• There has been some discussion on the relevance of some of the board seats. The positions were created 20+ years ago, not all may be relevant today.

  Also consider that a board member can ask for help, form committees, have an assistant, whatever is needed to achieve the goal. It is not a one person show. No heroics required.

  The interim board positions are now:

President – Stephen White
Ride Director – Danny Brigance
Treasurer – Cindy Edmison
Special Events Director – Susan Pogue
Communications Director – Vernon Leonard

If you are interested in talking to anyone about a position, have questions, or want to volunteer, you can reach out to any of the interim board members, Larry Strong or Francis Fox, using your favorite method of communication.

Thank You

1) FWBA is hosting the 50th & Final Easter Hill Country Tour (EHCT) on Friday, Saturday & Sunday, April 7 - 9, 2023.

As we say... "It's been a GREAT ride!" FIFTY years of the Hill County's best cycling. Miles and miles of Bluebonnets, breath-taking vistas, lung & leg scorching hills.... neither rain nor snow nor hail has kept us from our appointed rounds! But all such things must eventually pass into the Halls of Great Cycling Memories, and EHCT 's bittersweet time has come. Come join us for the last time to make this final year a GREAT send-off!

Ride Registration Opens Monday 12/19 - JUST IN TME FOR CHRISTMAS!

Please forward/repost to any of your other cycling friends, groups, clubs, or social media!

2) We need volunteers to provide the staffing for this final labor of love!

FWBA leaders have stepped up to coordinate all of the support areas. Most of you know how truly fun that is for EHCT. Please sign up at this free STAFF REGISTRATION link to help out!

Steve Gray, FWBA EHCT 2023 Ride Director

PS - As a member of the EHCT family, you may wonder why will this be the final EHCT?

As you probably know, Easter Hill Country Tour was started by a 4-club partnership that rotated leadership annually. So each partner produced EHCT every 4 years. This division of labor worked well for over 40 years, but by 2019 the team was down to 1 club - Ft Worth Bicycling Association. We partnered with Schreiner University and Hill Country Bike Store to move the leadership role to Kerville, who successfully carried EHCT through through the post-Covid re-opening. After review of those 2 years, they have advised us that this level of commitment is unsustainable. Similarly, FWBA, in spite of our long-standing love of EHCT, cannot sustain this event annually from 250 miles away. We have decided that we will lead this one final time to close out a memory-filled 50-year run with the many, many friends we have made over the years!

Most of our local bike shops have a box of some sort where you can drop off used chains, cogs, cassettes, etc. These either get recycled, or donated to Re-Geared to be used for awards, like the ones we give out at the Christmas party!

Hang on to that old chain and drop it off at the LBS the next time you go!

Help shape the future of a regional trail

This is your opportunity to have your voice heard!  Learn more about a new 66-mile regional trail connecting Fort Worth, Arlington, Grand Prairie, Irving and Dallas.

Link to a virtual open house until Dec 6, 2021: https://www.fortworthtexas.gov/news/2021/12/NCTCOG-FW-Dallas-Regional-Trail  

Participate in a virtual open house to share your opinions, experiences and ideas about the future of the Fort Worth to Dallas Regional Trail.

The virtual open house will be active through Monday, Dec. 6.

The project seeks to leverage and enhance the existing, and soon to be complete, 66-mile regional trail connecting Fort Worth, Arlington, Grand Prairie, Irving and Dallas. View a video to learn more about the project. 

In 2013, NCTCOG convened the mayors of the five core cities of the Dallas-Fort Worth Region — Fort Worth, Arlington, Grand Prairie, Irving, and Dallas — to discuss the idea of a continuous regional trail from downtown Fort Worth to downtown Dallas. The trail was highlighted as a resource and asset to the communities from an economic development perspective and tourism aspect, as well as the benefits to health and reduction of congestion that alternative transportation routes can offer.

Current efforts include a Trail Branding and Wayfinding Project that will create a unified brand and signage for the connected trails. The project also will provide recommendations for support infrastructure for regional and national events on the trail and integration of a regional 911 signage system. Finally, the project will build regional consensus for ongoing marketing and operations of the trail.

Anticipated project completion is summer of 2022.

Read the entire post here.

Officer nominations for the 2022 Board are in. Please click here to view and confirm.

We want all FWBA members to ride safely and stay healthy!  Each of us can take the following actions to help protect ourselves, our friends, and our fellow riders.

• When attending FWBA activities, please practice social distancing and mask wearing as outlined by Texas state mandates and recommendations*.  The board recommends members stay 6 feet apart at all times and wear face masks before and after rides when they are not at least 6 feet apart.

• Please do NOT attend an FWBA activity if you

• • Are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms

  • Are awaiting COVID-19 test results

  • Have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days

  • Have been exposed, within the past 10 days, to anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 (or 7 days if you received a negative test result following the exposure).

We are updating the ride waiver to include these best practices.  Let’s all do our part to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 on our members and families.

Ride Safe!  Your FWBA Board

* Texas Department of State Health Services http://www.dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus