A planning group recently formed to address the renovation and development issues of the Dr Pepper property at Mockingbird and Greenville.

Representatives from property owners DART, Kroger and Dal-Mac serve on the group, along with representatives of the City and neighborhood associations. The group meets weekly to discuss the property’s development, says Bob Moss with the Endowment Land Advisory Group. Moss facilitates the meetings.

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Dal-Mac, DART and Kroger each bought a portion of the property with no overall development plans. The group was created to form consistent standards for the property so its use will provide wider benefit, Moss says.

Trudy O’Reilly, a neighborhood resident, is representing the Dallas Landmark Commission on the team. She says the group has made the development process easier on everyone, especially the neighborhoods and individuals concerned about the history of the building.

“It’s really working,” O’Reilly says. “I think it’s going to be a win-win situation for the owners and the neighborhoods.”

Issues addressed so far include traffic and parking at the site, preserving the Dr Pepper building and consistent landscaping and architecture throughout the site.

“The issues surrounding putting something like this together are very complex,” Moss says.

“It helps to have everyone on the table to come up with a plan that works.”

McDaniel Seeks Input

Councilman Craid McDaniel wants to know our opinion. He is trying to identify issues that the City should consider for its legislative agenda. He held a meeting with neighborhood residents in December to get their input and has another meeting scheduled Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center, 2701 Reagan.

McDaniel says he will use the information he gathers to help the Council decide what issues must be pursued by Dallas lobbyists in Austin and Washington, D.C.

If you can’t attend the meeting, but have something you want him to consider, call his office at 670-5415 or write him at Mayor/City Council Office, 1500 Marilla-5FS, Dallas 75201.

Library Friends Host Program

Lakewood Library Friends will host “Scarlett’s in Therapy, Tara’s Going Condo” Jan. 27 from 6-8 p.m., at the library, 6121 Worth.

The evening will include refreshments, and the guest speaker will be Marlyn Schwartz, Dallas Morning News columnist and author of “Southern Belle Prime.” Tickets are $10 and proceeds benefit the Lakewood Library.

Sessions Enters Congressional Race

Pete Sessions has announced his candidacy for U.S. Congress, District 5, currently held by John Bryant.

Sessions, 38, is active in several neighborhood organizations, including serving as 1993 chairman of the Greater East Dallas Chamber of Commerce, district chairman for the White Rock District-Boy Scouts of America, treasurer of the East Dallas Rotary Club and member of the East Dallas YMCA board of directors.

He received his bachelor’s degree from Southwestern University in 1978 and has a 16-year career in telecommunications. He is married to Juanita Diaz and has a 4-year-old son, Bill.

Sessions’ goals are welfare reform, a balanced federal budget and safe streets with new anti-drug and crime-fighting initiatives.

County Elections

Dallas County Judge Lee Jackson is running for re-election. Jackson has been county judge since 1987.

Issues facing Dallas County, which Jackson says he will continue to address if re-elected, including jail overcrowding and improving the juvenile justice system.

Bill Hammond announced his candidacy for the County Commissioners Court District 2.

Hammond, 46, is owner and president of Dallas Tent & Awning Company. He was elected to the Texas Legislature in 1982 and served four terms.

He and his wife, Deborah, have three children: John, Phil and Caroline. They have lived in the community for more than 20 years and attend Wilshire Baptist Church.

Neighborhood Author Releases Book

Family therapist and neighborhood resident Allene Goldman recently wrote “St. Augustine Grass and Homemade Mayonnaise,” a book with answers to society’s problems – stress, violence, child abuse, hate, greed, poverty, fear and depression.

Goldman has post-graduate degrees in child development, psychology and crisis intervention. She co-founded a center in Los Angeles for the prevention and treatment of child abuse and helped prepare legislation to fund other centers in the state.

She now has a private practice in Dallas, and her book is available at the Bookstop located at Mockingbird and Greenville.

News & Notes

LEADERSHIP FORUM FOR GIRLS: Tejas Girls Scout Council will host a Leadership Forum for High School girls Jan. 12 from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at the Center for Non-Profit Management, 2900 Live Oak. The forum will show high school-age girls ways to become leaders in a chosen field, give them an opportunity to speak with women community leaders and develop leadership skills. For information, call 823-1342, ext. 237.

STORYTELLING: Ashley Forbes will perform a program of music, movement and make-believe Jan. 4 and 18 at 10 a.m. at the Lakewood Branch Library, 6121 Worth. For information, call 670-1952.

TWO FOR ONE: The YWCA is offering two-for-one specials on its Premier Passes, which allow use of all the organization’s work-out equipment, or for aerobics classes. The YWCA also offers year-round swim lessons for children and adults. For information, call 827-5600.

MEET PADDINGTON BEAR: Paddington Bear readings and puppet shows will be performed Jan. 15 at 11 and 11:30 a.m. and noon at the Enchanted Forest Books for Children, located at 6333 E. Mockingbird on the second level. For information call 827-2234.

BE AN EARTH FRIENDLY GUIDE: The Dallas Civic Garden Center, located in Fair Park, needs volunteers for its Children’s Education Workshops. The 45 minute tours teach children about plants and ecology. Training begins in January. For information, call 428-7476.

REGISTER TO VOTE: The League of Women Voters will host a city-wide voter registration drive Jan. 29 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Register at the Lakewood Branch Library, 6121 Worth, 670-1952.