on January 15, 2016 / by Downtown Dallas Inc. / in Blog Posts, Dine and Drink, Doing Business
Farmers Market Stakeholders Association Elects 2016 Officers and Directors
Dallas, January 14, 2016 – The members of the Farmers Market Stakeholders Association elected officers and directors for 2016. The newly elected officers and directors are a mix of property owners, business owners and neighborhood residents.
The officers are Marilyn Pippin, Hopkins Public Relations, president and board member; George (Rob) Robinson, neighborhood resident, treasurer and board member; and Matthew Vermillion, neighborhood resident, secretary and board member. The four additional board members elected are Ed Lopategui, resident; Craig Melde,ARCHITEXAS; Mike Ruibal, Ruibal’s Plants of Texas; and Tanya Ragan, Wildcat Management.
“It has been an honor and incredible journey to serve as president of FMSA since its inception. I am confident that Marilyn Pippin will do a wonderful job as the new president, and take the organization and membership forward,” outgoing president Tanya Ragan said. “The friendships, camaraderie and teamwork it took to convince the city that our side of town had potential, could be privatized and could be revitalized show what a community can do. It is amazing what we have accomplished together!”
In 2015 FMSA again saw progress in improving the quality of life in the district. The following are milestones for 2015:
- Encore Community Garden & Encore Amphitheater were both completed.
- The Market (formerly Shed 2) at Dallas Farmers Market was completed.
- FMSA worked closely with DART staff, city staff and area stakeholders to have the planned D2 DART Rail Line routed along Jackson, saving area homes, a church and local businesses.
- FMSA advocated for increased police presence during the evening hours. Dallas Police Department added a 1st Watch Shift on December 2, 2015. Prior to this, Dallas Central Business District was the only major city in Texas without 24/7 police coverage.
- National Night Out & District 2 Senior Brunch had record attendance.
- Plans for Harwood Park were announced and Belo donated $30M towards downtown parks.
- Mayor Rawlings addressed the homeless failure at the Downtown Dallas Inc. Annual Meeting and the need for additional homeless shelters outside of downtown.
- The Verizon cell tower location was placed on hold and area stakeholders stepped forward with building rooftop alternatives to ensure the cell tower would not be placed on street level.
- Farmers Market Stakeholders Association surpassed 5,000 followers on its Facebook page, surpassing the goal of reaching 3,500 by year end. The group’s following is growing organically through sharing and social engagement.
- Farmers Market Stakeholders Association participated in the Downtown Dallas 360 Plan Initiatives.
- Alta Farmers Market Apartments was completed, Alliance’s Broadstone Apartments started construction and Farmers Market Square is building their final townhomes.
“Great things are happening in the Farmers Market district for businesses, residents and visitors,” Marilyn Pippin said. “I look forward to continuing to serve the community and being part of the progress.”
The Farmers Market Stakeholders Association is a group of businesses, property owners and residents from the Farmers Market District who are interested in revitalizing the market and its neighborhood. A non-profit, volunteer organization, FMSA was created to promote public safety, crime prevention, neighborhood revitalization, improved economic conditions, quality of life and property values for area businesses and property owners.
For more information, contact: Marilyn Pippin, Marilyn@hopkinspr.com. 214-826-0670.
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