What’s next for Arlington’s Beach at Lake Viridian? Newly appointed committee to look at next steps

A new beach redesign committee will begin its work at the Viridian community in Arlington after the municipal district’s board unanimously appointed seven residents and one board member on July 8. 

The committee will look for next steps after the Beach at Lake Viridian was indefinitely closed following a late May incident the neighborhood’s governing district said involved around 300 teens and required Arlington police intervention. 

“We took a lot of things into consideration,” board vice chair John Smith said. “I feel we have a very, very strong group of critical thinkers who have talents that will be a great resource for us.” 

While the incident in May was the turning point for the beach, it was far from the first to raise residents’ eyebrows, attendees at the June meeting said. 

The Viridian Municipal Management District received 42 applications for the committee, with 12 emerging as finalists before the final seven members were selected, Smith said. 

The district had a long set of criteria for how committee members were chosen, Smith said, but did not get into specifics during the meeting. 

Chair David DeVries is the board representative on the committee. He will be an ex officio member, meaning he will not have a vote during the committee’s meetings. 

Another committee member is Ken Hampton, who spoke during the June meeting before the beach was closed. 

“I think this park needs to be permanently closed,” Hampton said at the time. “I think it is too small for the number of people that are trying to get in there.” 

The options for the committee are still unclear as public funds were used to create the beach, but the board’s legal team is still looking into options, board attorney Jonathan Finke said. 

The committee should be given options and bring an update to the board next month, Finke told the Arlington Report. 

Chris Moss is a reporting fellow for the Arlington Report. Contact him at chris.moss@fortworthreport.org.

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