Mission: The Oak Park Estates Neighborhood Association (OPENA) provides a forum and active support group for the residents of both Oak Park Estates and Druid Hills in order to make our neighborhoods a safer, more attractive, and better place to live.
History: Development of Oak Park Estates began in 1954 and Druid Hills in 1955. Druid Hills was developed by A.B. McDaniel and Oak Park Estates was developed by Vernon and James Smith, brothers who were local architects, and developers. Oak Park Estates was marketed simply as “Oak Cliff’s finest neighborhood”.
Today: Oak Park Estates has approximately 570 homes and Druid Hills has about 290 homes. The area is beautifully complimented by rolling terrain, a creek and towering trees. Oak Park Estates and Druid Hills are "hidden treasures" in Dallas and both are within walking distance to Kiest Park, one of Dallas' largest public park facilities. It is only a 10-minute commute to Downtown Dallas, which makes it very convenient to the central business corridor. The area is still one of Oak Cliff’s hidden treasures as Dallas “pocket neighborhoods”.
Want an OPENA T-Shirt? Only $15!
Visit the "Join Us" page on our website for an order form and to purchase your shirt.
Our Home. Our Roots. Our Family.
Oak Park Estates Neighborhood Association (OPENA)
2021 Sponsorships
OPENA has new sponsors for 2021. Check out the "Our Sponsors" page and be sure to tell the local business owners you heard about them through the Oak Park Estates Neighborhood Association.
September General Meeting – Water Connects Us
Date and Time:
Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021
6:30 - 8 pm
Zoom:
Link: https://databankimx.zoom.us/j/8923130559
Via phone: +1 346 248 7799 (enter the meeting ID 8923130559)
The program will also be streamed live on our Facebook page.
Agenda:
We are all connected by water in this sprawling urban area through the Trinity Basin, which is a huge watershed contained entirely within our state. The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area is located in the upper Trinity Basin, and water is everywhere! The key is to do our part to keep water clean and pollution free. We learn how to increase our awareness of the water all around us, while empowering everyone to make sustainable choices to improve the quality of life in Dallas and the world.
Also, learn about the Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability and how it fits into the City’s list of departments. What about their Outreach and Engagement Team, what do they offer our community? Join us from your easy
chair or garden!
Presenter Bio:
Judy Schmidt is the Communications and Marketing Manager (Senior Public Information Officer) for the City of Dallas’ Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability. She has worked for the City of Dallas for thirteen and a half years and her tenure includes ten years in the former Trinity Watershed Management Office where she focused on projects all along the Trinity River Corridor. She created events and programs such as the Trinity River Wind Festival and Trinity River Photo Contest to increase awareness of the Trinity River and the ecosystems along its banks.
In her current role, she provides communications and marketing for the Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability where she oversees the Outreach and Engagement Team of four. The team’s focus is to provide education on eight main topics: Air Quality, Energy, Green Living, Stormwater Management, Water Conservation, Urban Agriculture, Zero Waste, and the Comprehensive Environmental Climate Action Plan (CECAP). Judy is a writer, marketing professional, event planning specialist, and outreach specialist with over twenty years of experience in the field. Her creativity and enthusiasm for education led the Outreach Team through the “shelter-in-place” months of COVID-19 with the result being a weekly offering of virtual programs in partnership with the Dallas Public Library for people of all ages.
Her background is in marketing for the hospitality industry, public relations, and she also worked at NEC America, Inc., a Global Fortune 500 company.Judy attended the University of Texas at Dallas and has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration with a minor in Marketing. She has volunteered as a school mentor and spent multiple terms on the Board of Directors for Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity.