CITIZENS ON PATROL

Citizens on Patrol meet the third Monday of the month at 6:00pm at West Division on Marquita.

NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS - UPDATED 5/8/12

*** PROTECT THE INTEGRITY OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD ***


The 2013 garage sale will be held on Friday and Saturday will take place in April.


Dates are May 14-25, election day is Tuesday May 29.

Republican Primary Early Voting Locations:

Benbrook Community Center
228 San Angelo Avenue,
Benbrook

JPS Health Center Viola M. Pitts/Como
Lower Level, Suite 100
4701 Bryant Irvin Road N.
Fort Worth

Southwest Sub-Courthouse
6551 Granbury Road
Fort Worth


Citizens on Patrol

Many years ago, the late Councilman Chuck Silcox gave us the idea for our motto. “Protect the Integrity of the Neighborhood.” Maybe we should add the word, “Safety,” as well.

“Citizens on Patrol” is a national program that had its local beginnings in late 1991. Its purpose is to be the “eyes and ears” of the police department for neighborhoods like Ridglea Hills. Currently, there are only a handful of folks who patrol our neighborhood. That is a lot of ground for these volunteers. Your friends and neighbors need your help!

“Citizens on Patrol” is strictly a voluntary program. Each individual decides if and when he wants to patrol. You can patrol in your vehicle, on bicycle or on foot. Training programs are provided by the Fort Worth Police Department. Uniforms (shirts, jackets, and caps) are provided and two way radios are available for use while on duty. In addition, fuel reimbursement at the rate of $6.00 per patrol is provided.

Monthly COPS meetings are held at the West Sector on Marquita so that issues can be discussed. Neighborhood Police Officers (NPOs) are also in attendance to report what they have seen in your neighborhood.

Training dates for this year are on May 19, August 25 and November 17. All sessions are from 8 AM to 4 PM at the FWPD Training Center at 1000 Calvert Street. In addition, each newcomer to the program rides with a uniformed officer for a day.

If you have a few hours a week that you can devote to this program, please consider joining this group of dedicated individuals, some of whom have been patrolling for over 15 years. Your assistance will be appreciated.

The leader of our group, made up of Ridglea Hills and Ridglea Hills Addition is Betty Epperson, 817-732-3092, beejee@wt.net. Contact Betty direct if you have any questions. For applications go to our website, www.ridgleahills.com.

Let’s all pitch in to help our friends and neighbors!


STATUS OF GAS LEASING AND DRILLING (as of March 12, 2012)

Chesapeake began drilling its first well at the Westridge drill site in early February, for the Tee 1H well in the 245 acre Tee Unit, at the south end of Ridglea Hills, along West Vickery. The Tee Unit includes most of the apartments and condos at the south end of Westridge Drive and extends to the west to the streets nearest Ridglea Hills Elementary School and the lots around Bal Lake.

The second well from the Westridge drill site was expected to be in the Par Unit, which includes about 330 acres in the center portion of Ridglea Hills including Luther Lake and over to the south end of Rothington and Piedmont. Chesapeake has stated in letters to residents and on its www.AskChesapeake.com website that it will likely drill up to 6 wells consecutively before the drilling rig leaves the Westridge drill site. Each well takes about 2 to 3 weeks to drill, which means that continuous drilling is expected through about May. Construction work has not yet started on the pipeline that will take the gas away from the Westridge drill site, but the route of the pipeline is expected to go through the Como neighborhood and to the south toward West Vickery. It is likely to be at least a year or more before actual royalty payments are paid out of the production of the wells to owners who signed leases.

At this point, based on information filed with the Railroad Commission for the planned wells, it appears that most property owners have signed leases. If you have not yet signed a lease, you may still do by contacting one of the authorized leasing agents for Chesapeake – Purple Land Management (817-717-3835) for the central and south part of Ridglea Hills or Axia Land Services (817-585-1172) for the north part of Ridglea Hills near Camp Bowie. But it is unclear how long the leasing activities may continue since Chesapeake now appears to have leased all or most of the tracts that it needs for its planned drilling.

If you receive a letter from the Railroad Commission of Texas regarding an Application filed by Chesapeake for a “Rule 37” spacing exception permit, I encourage you to promptly seek advice from an attorney or other advisor familiar with such matters. If you fail to sign a lease or to timely respond to the Rule 37 Application, then you may never receive a lease signing bonus or any royalty for the production of the minerals below your tract.

Several companies are now sending letters to property owners in Ridglea Hills proposing to buy the mineral rights or royalty interest of the property owner. Before you accept such an offer, I encourage you to consider the offer carefully before you sign, and to seek information about the value of your mineral rights over the expected life of the wells.

Robert G. “Bob” West,
Gas lease attorney for Ridglea Hills Neighborhood Association


RIDGLEA HILLS NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETING OF FEBRUARY 21, 2012 - DOWNLOAD HERE


The Ridglea Hills Neighborhood Map is updated, please click HERE to view.


Ridglea Hills Neighborhood Association has a new FaceBook page! Please click HERE to Like us on FaceBook, post comments on our wall, and see updates.


RHNA MAILING ADDRESS:

P.O. Box 121056
Fort Worth, TX 76121-1056

If a homeowner has a street light that is not working, report it to the neighborhood association, or words to this effect.

Please click HERE to download the RHNA Membership Benefits and Application.

Tip: Leave the rake in the shed this spring...Click Here

FORT WORTH POLICE DEPARTMENT CITIZENS ON PATROL APPLICATION - If you would like to join the COP Program, please download and fill out the form HERE