6 Jun 29 - July 5, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents committed to the Joppa community, part- nering with families to build safe homes and create positive change throughout the neighborhood,” William Eubanks III, CEO of Dallas Habitat, said in a press release. “Today is a truly special day as this invest- ment will not only transform the lives of the families who will call these houses their homes but also contribute to the revitaliza- tion of the entire Joppa community.” All of this will take the effort of volun- teers, staff and subcontractors. Some of those volunteers will ideally be future own- ers of the newly constructed homes. The nonprofit has something called a “sweat eq- uity” program. As part of this program, fu- ture homeowners are required to participate in more than 350 volunteer hours. They’ll spend this time helping to build their future home and attending financial education classes that will make them eligi- ble for down payment assistance on the house. With Dallas Habitat’s affordability fund, these homes will be offered with 0% interest, and those who qualify can get up to $10,000 in assistance to help cover the down payment. Much of the money from this grant will go toward Joppa’s infrastructure needs, such as water and sewer pipes and side- walks. Although other issues remain to be addressed, these basic needs are starting to be filled, Derrough said, and the tide is start- ing to turn for Joppa. Air quality in Joppa has been a big issue for the community over the years, as it’s been home to several concrete batch plants. One of those plants will shut down this month. Derrough said she’s also preparing for a Texas Commission on Environmental Quality hearing in August regarding the per- mit for another batch plant in the commu- nity, hoping to get it shut down too. “It’s a lot going on in Joppa,” she said. “I feel like [Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity] is revitalizing Joppa because when I moved there in 2006, it was a no man’s land down there. … The more residents we get to move into the Joppa community, we’ll have more people to fight and change the environment around our community.” On top of the Joppa grant, the Dallas County Commissioners Court approved six other affordable housing projects that should bring another 200 affordable units to the county. The timeline for the Joppa proj- ect could change if the ransomware attack against Dallas interrupts the project’s sub- mission to the city. The city of Dallas is set to approve the project by December. From there, construction of the new Joppa homes is scheduled to begin in January 2025, with completion in the first quarter of 2026. ▼ TRAVEL LOVE LOST LOVE FIELD LANDS ON ‘WORST AIR- PORTS FOR SUMMER TRAVEL’ LIST. BY SIMONE CARTER W ith obscenely hot weather ahead, many Texans are looking to get the hell out of the state. It’ll likely be a busy summer-travel season, too: This Memorial Day, air traffic reportedly ex- ceeded 2019 levels – you know, before the pandemic came and practically turned the airline industry on its head. But North Texans who’ve booked flights at one particular Dallas airport should pre- pare to buckle up. Forbes Advisor, a personal finance web- site, recently unveiled its ranking of “Worst Airports for Summer Travel,” and you’ll def- initely recognize at least one of the three Texas airports that crashed onto the list. Thanks to its relatively poor track record of travel disruptions during peak jet-set sea- son, Dallas Love Field Airport soared onto Forbes Advisor’s naughty ranking. Of the 25 offenders that made the list, DAL took the No. 7 worst spot. The two other Lone Star State airports you might try to avoid this summer are El Paso International and William P. Hobby in Houston, which landed at Nos. 10 and 14, re- spectively. If you’re stressing out over travel, you’re definitely not alone. Nearly 25% of U.S. adults who’ve made plans to go on vacation within the next six months “report being very concerned about flight delays and can- cellations,” Forbes Advisor found in a recent survey. For its worst-airport report, Forbes Advi- sor examined 100 of the country’s liveliest airports, comparing them over 10 measures spanning two brackets: airfare price and on- time arrival performance in the summer months. So, if Dallas Love Field came in at No. 7, you might ask: Which airports were worse off than Big D? Orlando Sanford International (SFB) claimed the top spot, with Florida’s St. Pete- Clearwater International coming in at No. 2 and Asheville Regional in North Carolina in third place. Orlando International (MCO) landed in fourth place, followed by Bradley International in Hartford, Conn., and Cin- cinnati/Northern Kentucky International. (God forbid you’re planning to fly into one of those airports from Love Field.) Dallas Love Field’s track record of punc- tuality isn’t exactly stellar, according to this ranking: Only 76.56% of its flights were con- sidered “on time.” And of the top 10 worst airports for summer travel, DAL had the second-highest average of flight Unfair Park from p4 >> p8
