Page 46 - Benbrook FY2021

opening of Rolling Hills Park, located at 6970 Rolling Hills Drive. Rolling Hills Park is the first neighborhood park to be constructed in Benbrook
in nearly thirty years. The 4.3-acre park offers amenities for the entire family; facilities include: a jogging trail, pavilion, picnic tables, a sand
volleyball court, shaded playground equipment, outdoor exercise equipment, and a half-court basketball court. Funding for this project was
through the Capital Projects Fund.

In 2016-17, General Fund reserves were used to create a pocket park. South Benbrook Park, dedicated in November 2017, is a pocket park
located at 1119 Cozby West and was built through a partnership between the Benbrook United Methodist Church and the City of Benbrook;
amenities include a playground, picnic tables, bicycle racks, benches, and a walking track.

Funds were included in the 2014-15 Budget to replace the wooden light poles at Benbrook’s ball fields with steel light poles; funds were also
included to replace the wooden light poles at the soccer field with steel poles. These projects were completed in 2014-15 as scheduled. In
2016-17 the Parks Department replaced a mower and installed a handicapped swing. The 2016-17 Budget included funds for a utility vehicle
financed through the Capital Asset Replacement Fund. The Parks Department is scheduled to receive a backhoe and a skid steer motor currently
assigned to the Street Department. In 2017-18, the Parks Department requested and received funds to replace a pick-up truck through the
Capital Asset Replacement Account. In 2018-19, the Parks Department received funds to replace the electrical breaker boxes for all the ball
fields and to replace all the trash receptacles in City parks. In 2019-20 ballfield dugouts were rebuilt and expanded.

Establishment of a Community Garden

In summer 2013, the City of Benbrook was approached by several local garden enthusiasts interested in establishing a Benbrook Community
Garden at Dutch Branch Park. These citizens hosted several public meetings to gauge community interest and formed an informal volunteer
group, Benbrook Community Gardens. City staff reviewed their plans, obtained cost estimates for infrastructure, and submitted a proposal
to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to seek permission to use a portion of the park for this purpose. The Benbrook Community Gardens
group received City Council approval to fund the infrastructure costs. Council also approved a resolution establishing the Benbrook
Community Garden; the resolution outlines the City’s expectations of the Benbrook Community Gardens group.

Community gardens promote the art of gardening; provide an opportunity for residents to grow and harvest their own produce; encourage
the use of native and adaptive plants for a region; educate younger generations; conserve resources; and provide opportunities for
recreation and exercise. Community Gardens are often established on public lands, and managed, through agreement, by non-profit
volunteer organizations. The current Benbrook Community Gardens group, with approximately twenty members, includes two Tarrant Area
Master Gardeners, an officer of the Waverly Park Garden Club, lifelong gardeners/farmers, a registered dietician, and experts in organic
gardening practices.

The location of Benbrook’s community garden is at Timber Creek Park. The community garden includes thirty-eight garden plots (4x16),
bench and seating areas, a native plant demonstration garden, an herb garden, and a potential orchard. The estimated cost to acquire

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