Kay Granger Earmarking Nepotism & Other Fort Worth Myopic Vision Problems

The area of Texas that I live in is ill-served by several politicians. Kay Granger is one of them. She is the Congresswoman representing the 12th District of Texas. The 12th District includes Fort Worth and Tarrant County.

Several years ago voters in Dallas approved a project called the Trinity River Corridor Project. This plan turns a huge flood plain into a recreational lake, among other things. Anyone who has driven into Dallas, on I-30, has driven across the huge flood plain and can readily see why this is a good idea to turn this into a lake.

A few years after Dallas voters approved the Trinity River Corridor Project, the Good Ol' Boy Network that runs Fort Worth, not to be outdone by Dallas, foisted a plan on the public that has gone by various names, I think the most recent is the Trinity River Vision. Unlike Dallas, Fort Worth did not get to vote on its vision.

And what a vision it is. A little lake where the confluence of the Clear and West forks of the Trinity River now merge into one. The vision has changed over time. At one point the vision included fancy signature bridges and canals. The bridges are no longer fancy, and I believe the canals have dried up.

Since the Trinity River Vision was not approved by Fort Worth voters, there is no normal type funding mechanism that occurs when voters approve of a bond. To get federal money an un-needed flood diversion channel was added.

To motivate Kay Granger to help get federal money, her son, J.D., who has no experience in running a construction project, was hired to run the Trinity River Vision Project. This is called nepotism. Usually nepotism is frowned upon as being symptomatic of corruption.

Due to the existing levees being altered, plus an un-needed flood diversion channel, plus wetlands abatement, the Army Corps of Engineers was brought in. Involving the Army Corps of Engineers is useful when trying to get federal money.

Now, why do I say this flood diversion channel is un-needed? Well, the last time the Trinity River flooded, in the area of concern, was around 60 years ago. After that flood, giant levees where installed to prevent such a flood from happening again. I don't know for sure, but I suspect federal money likely paid for those levees. So, you in the rest of America have already paid to protect this part of Fort Worth from dangerous floods.

Meanwhile, Kay Granger pays no attention to another part of Tarrant County that does need some flood diversion help, that being Haltom City, where flash flooding creeks have done a lot of damage and have killed people, unlike the currently safe Trinity River where the un-needed flood diversion channel may be built.

What Haltom City needs to do is come up with the Fossil Creek Vision, some grandiose plan that includes a town lake and some canals. Maybe even throw in a bridge or two. And then hire one of Kay Granger's kids to run the project.

On March 16 the Fort Worth Star-Telegram ran an editorial "Project's future is clouded" regarding the news that Kay Granger's Trinity River Vision earmarks had been halted, thus rendering the Vaunted Vision cloudy.

Kay Granger got into High Umbrage Mode over that editorial and wrote a rather incoherent response. This is not the first time I've had the pleasure of reading Ms. Granger's incoherency. I've had more than one person share with me obtuse replies they have received after asking the Congresswoman a question.

Granger says, "There is the assertion that the federal government has never adopted the project as one of its own. Trinity River Vision was authorized in 2005. If it were not, the Army Corps of Engineers would not be able to proceed. It is an authorized project."

2005? Really? Authorized by whom? In 2005? The entire project was authorized by the Army Corps of Engineers? Weren't they brought in well after the project was underway, after her son had been hired? When it was realized some bogus flood control deal had to be added to the vision in order to get federal money? Correct me if I am wrong, but hasn't this "vision" to build a little town lake been around a lot longer than 2005?

And then Granger said the following bit of maddening idiocy, "Finally, the financial structure for TRV has not been 'snapped to pieces.' This is a project that is a foundation of Fort Worth's future prosperity and continued public safety. Local funding is in place. Needed infrastructure projects will continue to be a federal priority."

Okay. The TRV is a foundation of Fort Worth's continued public safety? That must be a reference to the flood diversion channel. So, why is Kay Granger so worried about the public safety in an area where no one has drowned from a Trinity River flood, due to that area having levees, so enormous, that to do damage, it would take a Noah's Ark flood of ultra-Biblical proportions, while in Haltom City, which is in Tarrant County, creeks regularly go into deadly flash flood due to bad construction practices?

Why does Kay Granger ignore the Haltom City flood danger, which is real, while paying homage to the Trinity River flood danger, which is bogus?

Corruption is one of my favorite polysyllabic words.

I got the map of the Trinity River Vision from the TRV website. Now, there are some, I may be one of them, who refer to this project as Fort Worth's latest Boondoggle.

Ironically, this TRV map points out some Fort Worth boondoggles. We have an arrow pointing to the now defunct, due to boondogglery, Tarrant County College Downtown Campus.

Then a short distance away the map points out Radio Shack Headquarters. That headquarters ruined one of the few things that made downtown Fort Worth unique, that being huge free parking lots and a free subway to take you downtown. Radio Shack soon found it could not afford its new headquarters and is now talking about leaving Fort Worth. Meanwhile, the Tarrant County College Downtown Campus moved into Radio Shack Headquarters.

Towards the south end of the TRV map it points out the new Pier 1 Headquarters, which Pier 1 could not afford. So, that building was taken over by Chesapeake Energy and turned into their Fort Worth fortress where they operate their pseudo City Hall.

At the center of the TRV map, surrounded by what looks like canals, sits La Grave Field, now out of business and up for sale.

Quite a record. But I'm sure the Trinity River Vision will work out just fine. Fort Worth is well past due for something working out just fine.

Meanwhile, can't something be done about Haltom City. If only some responsible adults would run for the Tarrant Regional Water Board....