BVWNA 2021 General Meeting - Feb 27th

The BVWNA held its annual meeting on February 27th via Zoom. The Board President Ann Salyer Caldwell opened the meeting and introduced the guest speakers Councilmember Gyna Bivens and FWPD Eastside Commander Leonard Elgin. There was a good discussion about issues facing our neighborhood and eastside community. Residents expressed their concern about litter, hearing gunfire, preserving trees and green spaces, and the lack of small businesses such as shops and restaurants in our immediate area. Councilmember Bivens shared the work being done to require builders to maintain old growth trees and the designation of property along John T White as a park to maintain the natural space prized in East Fort Worth. Commander Elgin reported on work being carried out by Eastside Division to address crime and gun fire. Our Neighborhood Patrol Officer Travis Ward was also on the call and contributed to the discussion. You can reach these officials via phone and/or email. See the FAQ page for contact information for Councilmember Bivens (under Representation) and for Commander Elgin and Officer Ward (under Who To Call...).

Devin Huffines from Huffines Communities Developer provided an update to residents and their plan to move forward with the purchase and development of the land east of the Bentley Village Waterchase neighborhood. BVWNA continues to monitor this situation closely, asking questions of the developer and of city officials, and talking with residents to explore options and make sure Bentley Village and Waterchase residents are informed. See the post on ZC20-086 for more detailed and updated information.

The important BVWNA business addressed at this meeting was the proposed 2021 Budget, the proposed bylaws, and the nomination and election of officers The budget proposed for 2021 was presented by Courtney Garner Lewis who volunteered to take over treasurer duties after the unexpected loss of our esteemed neighbor Lee Ellershaw. The proposed budget was based on the current number of member households. The important items such as mowing of residences' property that back up to John T White, maintaining median and monuments, and website and email services were included along with a few social events that we hope to resume later this year.

The bylaws were updated to reflect the new membership fee as voted by the general membership in 2020, making the Board position for communications a voting position, and adding two at-large voting Board members. The two at-large voting positions provide another way for residents to be involved in BVWNA and support the many activities the volunteer board members carry out. The at-large members will have voting privileges and may support in various areas such as: existing board functions, committee activities, relations with city and other East Fort Worth organizations, communications and marketing, social events, and other areas as they arise. We look forward to having at-large members who bring fresh ideas and energy to BVWNA. Do you have expertise or interest that would benefit BVWNA? Are You Interested in Volunteering? Please contact us at info@bvwna.org if you are interesting in serving as an at-large board member.

Three BVWNA members won the prize drawings for gifts certificates to Target (Bill & Jane Buehler), Lowes (Rick & Trang Shaner), and OD's BBQ (Dr. Royce & Linda Lummus) -- Congratulations! And the meeting closed with a brief tribute and remembrance of past BVWNA Board members we lost this past year -- Scott Willingham, Roxanne Conrad, and Lee Ellershaw. The 2-minute video tribute has been posted to the home page of BVWNA website.

Elections were held via email and members unanimously voted to accept the proposed budget as presented, the proposed bylaws as presented, and the slate of BVWNA board members as presented. You can see all the BVWNA Board Members on the website's About Us page - and meet the newest Board member Courtney Garner Lewis as the BVWNA Treasurer.

Please Be a member of BVWNA! Your support and active involvement in our neighborhood is needed to keep our neighborhood the Best Neighborhood in East Fort Worth! Join Today!

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Mark Your Calendar!

Saturday, February 27, 2021 @7:00 pm

The Bentley Village-Waterchase Neighborhood Association hosts annual general meetings and, In the past, these meetings have been hosted at a local restaurant. Due to COVID restrictions, the BVWNA 2021 Annual meeting will be hosted virtually via Zoom. At these meetings, we review our current budget, vote on proposed by-laws, nominate and elect officers, and cover other important matters.

Guest Speakers include District 5 Councilwoman Gyna Bivens and Eastside Police Commander Leonard Elgin. Danny Scarth, Huffines Communities will provide a brief update on the development of land at the 9000 block of John T White. And there will be raffle drawings for current members who are present.

You should have received an email invite dated February 27th from info@bvwna.org that includes the Zoom Call information. If you did not receive, please send an email to info@bvwna.org. Or join BVWNA online before the meeting, and the email will be automatically forwarded to you!

Please Do Not Share Your Email Invite with the Zoom Call with others - it may keep you from joining the call.

While we invite all residents to be a part of our general meetings, only current BVWNA members can vote.

If you need information on how to use zoom, you can check out http://SeniorPlanet.org or view a copy of the tutorial by clicking here. If you need more assistance with Zoom or would like to test your connection, please send an email to info@bvwna.org to schedule a time and date.

Nominate a neighbor or yourself to serve as a Board member or a Committee Chair position. Just send an email to info@bvwna.org with the name and position:

Board Positions:

President

Vice-President

Treasurer

Secretary

Membership Development

Communications

Descriptions of the Board Positions can be found in the BVWNA By-Laws on the About Us page.