Amon G. Carter Foundation Fort Worth Heritage Park Fix

Yesterday on my Fort Worth To-Do List of Problems that I think would behoove Fort Worth to address and fix was the downtown eyesore that should never have been allowed to have become an eyesore, that being Fort Worth's Heritage Park.

Now that the destruction of Heritage Park has become a national issue, with it being put on a list of National Modern Marvels of Architecture in Danger, plus the State of Texas putting Heritage Park on a list of Texas Landmarks in Danger, the City of Fort Worth is finally, sort of, addressing the problem.

My suggestion yesterday was to immediately remove the cyclone fencing and the "Park Closed" sign, clean up the park and re-open it. And worry about fixing the water features later. I believe the claim that shifting ground has affected the structures to be a bogus concern. I've walked all over the "closed" park and saw no signs of cracking concrete.

It seems that currently the City of Fort Worth is earnestly attempting to counter the bad publicity regarding what most outsiders would view as an act of civic negligence, by contacting those who are critical, and concerned, regarding the current sad state of Heritage Park.

Yesterday I was contacted by a City of Fort Worth representative, Veronica Villegas, who wanted to share with me new information about Heritage Park. I then asked if the "new information" was what had been reported in the press, that being that Fort Worth was looking for a way to re-open the park, needing over $7 million to do so.

The City of Fort Worth representative replied with the following, regarding the "new information" about Heritage Park....

The city would like to bring residents up to speed on where we are and how we got here.

As you know, the park was closed in 2007 without much information as to why. We think it is important that residents know those reasons. Also, since then, Streams and Valleys commissioned a study that addresses some of the very issues for the park’s closure.

Last week the city announced that it will be partnering with the Amon G. Carter Foundation to bring landscape architect Laurie Olin, a close associate of the park’s designer Lawrence Halprin, to help the city explore ways to restore and improve Heritage Park. He will lead a two or three day study workshop sometime in April.

The city has forgotten about Heritage Park, but the issues are very complex and it has taken some time to determine our next steps. Certainly, the upcoming workshops will not provide all of answers or even a definitive solution. Instead, it is the first step in a what will undoubtedly be a thorough process that will involve interested stakeholders and our residents.

I would be happy to discuss additional details with you over the phone.

Veronica

I think the part where Veronica says "The city has forgotten about Heritage Park." was a Freudian Slip. I'm sure what she meant to say was "The city has not forgotten about Heritage Park." At least, I hope that is what she meant.