Friday, March 25, 2016

The Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island Vision Non-Bond Boondoggle Mess

I saw that which you see here, this morning, in the Seattle Times, and while this is yet one more item I likely would not be reading in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about something taking place in Fort Worth and Tarrant County, something else crossed my mind.

What this little blurb caused to occur to me was how much better Fort Worth and Tarrant County would be if such a thing took place.

For example, what if public comments were sought at the start of the century regarding the idea of developing the blighted north side of downtown Fort Worth by turning the Trinity River into an attractive waterfront type feature, with a lake, canals and an economically viable piece of real estate that would attract residents, shopping and restaurants?

And then what if the public voted to tax themselves to fully fund this project?

If that had taken place the Trinity River Vision, in 2016, would likely be something one could actually see, with the public benefiting from that which they voted for.

Instead, what Fort Worth got was a Big Boondoggle. Had America's Biggest Boondoggle been funded the way most public works projects are funded, J.D. Granger would never have been hired. There likely would be no Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube floating beer parties in the polluted Trinity River.

How much of the money The Boondoggle has spent has gone to the salaries of J.D. Granger and his legion of minions? Salaries which would no longer be being paid if the project had been completed in a timely fashion.

If the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island Vision was such a vital economic and flood control project why was it not put to a public vote, with a bond issue fully funding the supposedly vitally needed economic and flood control project?

Is it too late now to fix this mess with a public vote and a bond issue?

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