A meeting for Greenville Avenue neighborhoods has been called to discuss plans for the Dr Pepper building and Greenville Avenue Christian Church.
The meeting will be Feb. 15 at 7:30 p.m. at the Ridgecrest Baptist Church, 5470 Ellsworth.
Results of the Dr Pepper planning team will be presented. The team had representatives of the three property owners, DalMac, Kroger and DART, as well as City staff and neighborhood residents. They worked out a development plan for the Dr Pepper property.
Kroger will present store designs, says Terry Evans with Kroger.
DalMac will give information on an anchor tenant for the site, says Dick LeBlanc, who represents DalMac on the team.
DalMac was negotiating with Bookstop to move into the two-story retail spot. But, negotiations fell through. The community is starting a letter campaign to Barnes & Noble, the company that owns Bookstop, to ask them to reopen negotiations, says Bobbi Bilnoski, president of the Greenland Hills Neighborhood Association.
Send letters to: Leonard Riggio, CEO, Barnes & Noble, 120 5th Ave., 4th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10011.
A traffic analysis of the site with possible solutions to the expected traffic increase in the area will also be presented, Bilnoski says.
The fate of the Greenville Avenue Christian Church is also on the agenda. The church burned down in December and the surrounding neighborhoods are trying to develop ideas for the six empty lots left in its place, Bilnoski says. Ideas will be discussed and surveys will be sent to neighborhood residents. The results will be given to the property owner, Bilnoski says.
What to do About Christie’s?
The Greenland Hills Neighborhood Association hosted a meeting on Jan. 27 with city officials to discuss what can be done about Christie’s, a new business on Greenville.
The adult gift shop has raised concern, says Bobbi Bilnoski, president of the Greenland Hills Neighborhood Association.
But, the store’s owner, Jess Major, says his business has been misrepresented and is not a threat.
At the meeting, City staff summarized the City’s Sexually Oriented Business Ordinance, how it applies to Christie’s and what the neighborhood can do.
The information will be used to decide what to do next. Bilnoski says she thinks the neighborhood would compromise with the store’s owners, that their biggest concern is the movies in the store.
“It’s the repeat nature of the business,” Bilnoski says.
Christie’s is franchise based in Oklahoma City with stores in Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado and Kansas. Major says the stores cater to adults who want risque gifts.
In the store, there are T-shirts and lingerie, as well as cards that range in messages from adult humor to nudity. Through out the store there are shelves with items such as body paint, massage oil, and condoms. The store carries a line of “Over the Hill” items, plus wrapping paper with age jokes. There are videos and books for sale. Major says none of them are X-rated.
Most items in the store can also be purchased at retailers such as Fredrick’s of Hollywood, Condom Sense and Spencer’s Gifts.
“Our intent has not been to have any controversy, but to open and run a business,” Major says.
Interfaith Awarded Big Grant
The Interfaith Housing Coalition was awarded a grant of up to $97,000 from the Meadows Foundation for the transitional living center, according to Mary Lee Petty, assistant to the director of Interfaith.
The grant will be used for a new development director position at Interfaith. Interfaith received $70,000 from the Foundation in January, and up to $27,000 will be awarded as a dollar-for-dollar match for contributions made for the same purpose through Jan. 1, 1995.
Interfaith provides rent-free furnished apartments for 90 days to homeless families and assists them in finding jobs and developing money management, budget and living skills.
Spiritual Nursing Hosted by Wilshire Baptist
Wilshire Baptist Church will host a seminar for nurses entitled “The Spirituality of Nursing,” according to Brian Burton, minister to single and married adults at Wilshire.
The seminar is sponsored by Baylor University Medical Center, Texas Baptist Nursing Fellowship and Wilshire.
The free seminar will be Feb. 20 and 27 at the church, located at 4316 Abrams. Course participants receive 4.8 continuing education units. You don’t have to be a member of the church to attend.
For information or to make a reservation, call the church at 824-4531 or Dr. Linda Garner at Baylor University School of Nursing at 820-4185.
Neighborhood Resident Makes Cartoon History
Neighborhood cartoonist Brad McMillan is profiled in “Cartooning Texas,” a book documenting 100 years of cartoon art in Texas.
McMillan has drawn political cartoons since the mid-’70s and is published monthly on the Advocate’s viewpoint pages. Other publications publishing McMillan’s work include the Dallas Observer, City Life, the Dallas Business Journal and the Dallas Weekly.
The book, which was put together by Maury Forman and Robert A. Calvert, is published by Texas A&M University Press and sells for $16.95
Judge Candidates
Neighborhood resident Suzanne Bass is running for the 44th Civil District Court.
Bass, a Republican, has been practicing law since 1983 in Texas and Oklahoma and has been an active member of the Dallas Bar Association. She was a charter member of the Dallas Professional Republican Women. Her husband, James Roberts, owns Lakewood Landscape and Garden Service.
Justice Barbara Rosenberg, a Junius Heights resident, is running for re-election to the Fifth District Court of Appeals. She was appointed to the court in 1991.
She has more than 16 years of judicial experience, including seven years as an associate Municipal Judge for the City and seven years as a Family Court Master in the 330th District Court. She has lived in Dallas for 18 years and enjoys bicycling and reading.
News & Notes
QUESTIONS ABOUT SMALL TALK: Lakewood Pediatric Therapy has established Small Talk, a free information hotline, 826-TALK, to answer questions about speech development, says Kathleen Morris. Parents who call the line will receive a response from a licensed speech-language pathologist within 24 hours.
ANNUAL FOOD DRIVE: Neighborhood Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts will be “Scouting for Food” Feb. 5 and 12 for the Boy Scouts of America’s annual food collection effort.
Scouts will distribute grocery bags to homes Feb. 5. On Feb. 12, they will return to collect bags filled with food.
FREE HEALTH SCREENINGS: The 11th annual Health Check will be Feb. 19 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Feb. 20 from noon-6 p.m. at the NorthPark Center, Northwest Highway and Central Expressway. The event, which is sponsored by the Dallas County Medical Society Alliance and the Dallas County Medical Society, will have free screenings for cholesterol level, glaucoma, blood pressure, lung function and breast examinations. There will also be health information about AIDS, eating disorders, cancer and nutrition. For information, call 948-3622.
