This Fort Worth neighborhood is getting something residents have wanted for a long time
Las Vegas Trail is moving closer to having one of its greatest needs met.
The Fort Worth City Council on Tuesday approved purchasing YMCA of Metropolitan Fort Worth’s Westside location for under $250,000 and turning it into a park and community center unanimously.
Through town halls and public forums starting in the 2017, the Las Vegas Trail community voiced overwhelming support for a safe community center with after school programs, Councilman Brian Byrd said. Many children come from single-parent and economically disadvantaged households in the apartment-dominated neighborhood.
Organizers offered few details Tuesday ahead of a press conference and celebration scheduled for Wednesday at the Westside YMCA.
The community center will act as a pillar to address several of Las Vegas Trail’s greatest needs, said Karmen Rubin, executive director of LTV Rise.
Through the center, residents can be connected with job and career training as well as housing assistance. The area is one of Fort Worth’s many food deserts, where fresh produce and other food are not available to most residents within walking distance. A mobile community center has helped address food availability to a degree, but the new center will make access more permanent.
“The goal is to make this something the community is proud of and will embrace,” Rubin said.
LVT Rise, a nonprofit, will be responsible for programs and services with other community partners. The brick-and-mortar operation will largely replace a mobile community center operated by the Las Vegas Trail Revitalization Project and Catholic Charities of Fort Worth. The 45-foot-long RV, emblazoned with #LVTRise and a rising sun logo, has provided roving services, including a food bank since
At 8201 Calmont Ave., the Westside YMCA is an ideal location for a community center — it is less than a mile east of Las Vegas Trail and just a two-minute walk from Western Hills Elementary and Primary schools. More than 4 acres of the land will become a city park, called Calmont Park. The site currently has two outdoor basketball courts, a playground, large sports fields and a swimming pool, but Byrd said renovation may replace some those facilities, like the pool, with other amenities.
A total of $3.2 million will be invested in the YMCA facility once it transfers to the city. That cost will be split between the city and private donors. Community partners have raised about $650,000, Byrd said.
At $248,500 for five acres and the building, the property is a real deal for Fort Worth. The property was appraised at $1.25 million in 2018, according to Tarrant County Appraisal District figures.
Renovations could begin as early as June with work to the more than 5,000 square foot building. The city has committed $300,000 annually for the next three years to fund a portion of the maintenance and operation costs.
“For the city it’s a win win,” Byrd said. “We get a community center in a place that really needs one at a fraction of the cost and we form this great partnership.”
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram explored life along Las Vegas Trail in 2017 with a multi-part series.
This story was originally published March 19, 2019 at 8:29 PM with the headline "This Fort Worth neighborhood is getting something residents have wanted for a long time."
