In August: Attend budget town halls, honor neighbor Joe Whitney

Meet a neighborhood legend then talk city budget, fiscal year 2023-4.

Three dates in August will be dedicated to D1 Oak Cliff citizen input regarding the fiscal year 2023-2024 City of Dallas budget, with D1 city council representative Chad West.

Prior to the in-person meeting at Dallas Methodist Medical Center, Thursday August 10 at 6 p.m., city officials will formally recognize Oak Cliff/East Kessler resident Joseph Whitney for his decades of service, which has included cleaning up the parkway along Coombs Creek Trail as well as installation and removal of the flags along Sylvan Avenue during holidays.

Those climbing man sculptures seen along Coombs Creek tennis courts fences — Whitney made those, he has told us in the past, but even he couldn’t say who makes the beloved tree-trunk elf doors (probably for the best).

Whitney is also responsible (along with Craig and Riley Davis of Davis Metal Stamping Inc. and Obed Navarro of NSG Contractors) for the 14-foot cross outside the 130-year-old Oak Cliff Christian Church on Zang.

He’s been known as a bona fide “neighborhood historian” since at least the first year the Oak Cliff Advocate existed.

So let’s get out there and have a good showing from the neighborhood for this presentation, Councilman West requests. It will last about five or so minutes, beginning at 5:55 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 10.

The second budget meeting will be virtual, visit bit.ly/dallasbudgettownhall, at noon, Monday, Aug. 14.

The following evening at 6 p.m. there will be a third Spanish-only meeting at 1111 Martindell.