New Dallas Cowboy Stadium Making Locals Cranky

That is the new Dallas Cowboy Stadium's roof above the FINA station. The view is looking northwest from the industrial blight area southeast of the stadium.

Several events have now taken place in the new stadium, including one or two football games of various sorts. I have seen no reports of traffic or congestion problems related to stadium events.

That surprises me, due to the fact that that area can be a bit congested, due to all the road construction, whenever I drive through the area.

I got feedback to my Eyes on Texas webpage about America's Team from someone who attended the first football game in the new stadium. The Dallas Cowboys call themselves "America's Team." This seems to be some sort of local delusion. The feedbacker was not happy about something he did not see.

Eyes on Texas,

What I noticed about the first game was what wasn't seen. No United States flag during the whole affair. Very little participation of players and fans when the national anthem was rendered. Some America's Team !!!!!!!

— Ray Pettigrew

And then this morning, in the Sunday Fort Worth Star-Telegram, there were 2 letters to the editor from a couple Arlington residents not at all happy with the new stadium. Both letters are below....

Stadium not disability friendly

Now that the world has said all its superlatives about Jerry Jones’ stadium, what does a handicapped veteran think?

When I bought my ticket, I asked about handicap parking. I was told to use the Rangers parking lot, where a courtesy cart would pick people up. There were three carts that could handle two people at a time for 78,000 fans, some handicapped. I waited with eight other handicapped people for 40 minutes. No cart.

I decided maybe I could walk. Along the way, I counted about a half-dozen people in wheelchairs being pushed up the hill by family or friends. I also saw numerous people using canes to help them walk. I talked to people who said they waited about an hour for a courtesy cart that never showed. It appeared that Jerry’s people had carts running here and there to pick up fans who were seemingly healthy enough to walk.

Once I reached the stadium, my knee was killing me so I asked the attendant if I could I go in the door. He looked at my ticket said sorry but my gate was on the back side. Once I got to the gate, I had to walk half way back to find an escalator to get upstairs.

I was unable to find a handicap stall in several restrooms. Aren’t there federal laws about handicap parking and restrooms? Did Jerry’s facility slip below the federal radar?

— Senior Master Sgt. David A. Fitzwater, retired, Arlington

Prisoner in own home

My home is cut off by barricades and if I want to go anywhere, I’m routed all over the place because I happen to live about a half-block from the new Cowboys stadium. Helicopters were overhead the entire day of the first game.

I have been subjected to this harassment many times this summer. Paul McCartney’s concert brought Excalibur Towing, parking two tow trucks in front of my house. Nobody else can park here, but it seems the tow trucks have priority, whipping their big trucks up and down this little street.

We had a buyer for our property, but when the buyer tried to get zoning for a parking lot, the Arlington City Council said, "No way!" The deal fell through. Now I see in the Star-Telegram that the council is going to approve the use of the city lots for Cowboy parking.

It’s becoming clear why they turned us down! They didn’t want the competition.

The city has ruined my and my neighbors’ chances of getting out of the rat race that this stadium has brought to our little neighborhood.

I am 74 years old and have been hospitalized twice this summer for surgeries, including an aneurysm, and I’m sure that I’m an unimportant person in your eyes. But I have lived here for many years and intended to live out my life here until the city plunked the stadium about 500 feet from my house. Now they’re making sure I’m stuck here.

The city of Arlington should be ashamed!

— Anne Blanchard, Arlington