This morning in my mailbox I found a 28 page full color mailing, 28 pages of jaw dropping propaganda. The Fall 2014 Trinity River Vision Authority Update. I scanned a few of the 28 pages of propaganda for illustrative purposes.
On the second page of the propaganda we learn the "Trinity River Vision Authority is the organization responsible for the implementation of the Trinity River Vision (TRV) - a master plan for the Trinity River in Fort Worth. The TRV's primary focus is to provide needed flood protection but it will also connect every neighborhood in the city to the river corridor with new recreational amenities, improve infrastructure, provide environmental enhancements and manage event programming...."
"Needed flood protection"? If I have said it once I have said it ten dozen times, the area of The Boondoggle has been protected from floods for well over a half century due to flood control levees you in the rest of America paid for long ago. And now Fort Worth expects you to fork over some more money, this time for imaginary flood protection. And how can The Boondoggle possibly connect every neighborhood in the city to the river? I mean, it is a BIG city, with a very small river. Far north Fort Worth is going to be connected to the river? This is how propaganda works. You just get to make up stuff, just throw out nonsense, because you know no one is going to call you on it.
Also on the second page of the TRV propaganda we learn...
The Trinity River Vision will:
- Create Panther Island, a vibrant new urban waterfront neighborhood north of downtown
- Expand Gateway Park into one of the largest urban-programmed parks in the nation
- Enhance the river corridor with over 90 user-requested projects on the Trinity Trails
- Program public spaces including Panther Island Pavilion, a waterfront music venue and festival space directly adjacent to downtown Fort Worth
In the TRV Updgate propaganda they seem to be real proud of the explosion that was set off by pushing on a TNT plunger to mark the official beginning of the construction of The Boondoggle's Three Bridges Over Nothing. Three Bridges which are such complex feats of engineering that they will take an amazing four years to build.
From the picture above it appears that the aforementioned J.D. Granger, his mama, Kay and Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price were among the group who set off the explosion. I am wondering a couple things. One is how much did this explosion cost to explode? And who paid for it? Is the reason a simple shovel dirt turning groundbreaking did not suffice was because these Three Bridges Over Nothing are such a major construction project, bigger than the Golden Gate Bridge, bigger than the Panama Canal, bigger than, well, you get the point, bigger than all sorts of construction projects which did not begin with a big explosion.
Or take four years to build.
On the BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION ERUPTS page of the propaganda we learn "The groundbreaking (or should we say "blasting"?) ceremony took place on November 10 and construction is currently progressing full speed ahead."
More propaganda. Full speed ahead? These Three Bridges Over Nothing are pretty much being built in slow motion. If they ever get completed they likely will have been one of the longest bridge building projects in world history. Four years to build three very simple bridges. Over dry land. If the propagandists were forced to tell the truth that truth would be that the bridges are being built in slow motion due to a lack of funds, which is also the reason they are being built over dry land, due to the fact that J.D.'s mom has yet to come up with the federal money to pay for the un-needed ditch to bring some water under the dry bridges.
And then on page six of the propaganda we have the introduction of the Fort Worth Trinity Promenade.
From the Trinity River Promenade page of the propaganda...
While the primary purpose of the Bypass Channel is to provide flood control, it will also be the most striking waterfront feature of Panther Island, earning it the name Trinity River Promenade.
The Trinity River Promenade will be a system of urban parks connecting lakes, canals and marinas through a network of trails. These lively urban spaces, which will include features such as launches with convenient on-site storage for kayaks & canoes, will foster a healthy active lifestyle community and help to sustain the amazing quality of life in Fort Worth.
Wow! A network of trails connecting lakes, canals and marinas. Lakes? The Boondoggle's vision is now seeing multiple lakes? Amazing quality of life in Fort Worth? I am wondering if this newly introduced Trinity River Promenade will have modern restroom facilities? Or will it continue the amazing Fort Worth quality of life by using the outhouse restroom method, such as what is used at The Boondoggle's Rockin' the River Panther Island Pavilion Music Venue Happy Hour Inner Tube Float area?
And then we come to a couple pages about The Parks of Panther Island. I only scanned the first of the two Panther Island Parks pages.
Regarding the Parks of Panther Island the Boondoggle's propaganda tell us they were "Designed in conjunction with The Trinity River Promenade to foster an active lifestyle community, the Panther Island project now includes a system of seven new urban parks throughout the district..."
Why does The Boondoggle propaganda over and over again refer to "urban" parks. Fort Worth is a city. Aren't all parks in Fort Worth urban parks? It would be hard to have a rural park in a city. So, now The Boondoggle includes seven new parks. Four of the parks are named in the Boondoggle's propaganda. There is Promenade River Bank Park, Promenade Park South, Levee Park and Promenade Park North.
Skipping ahead past several pages of propaganda covering things like Panther Island Ice and the plethora of Panther Island Pavilion events, like Oktoberfest in September and those Rockin' the River floating beer parties, we come to two pages thanking the 2014 special event sponsors of four special events, the aforementioned Panther Island Ice, plus Fort Worth's Fourth, and the also aforementioned Rockin' the River and Oktoberfest.
Programming? The Boondoggle delivers programming? Worth over a $1 million? Who counted the number of guests? Who measured the alleged economic growth bought with that more than a million dollars of programming?
And then several pages later we come to yet one more unfortunate J.D. Granger quote. "As we move forward with the construction of Panther Island, it's important we embrace Fort Worth's rich history and memorialize it on the banks of the Trinity River."
So, Mr. Granger thinks it is important to embrace Fort Worth's rich history? Well, on the bluff, at the north edge of downtown Fort Worth, across the street from the Tarrant County Courthouse there is a park built to honor Fort Worth's rich heritage and history, called, appropriately, Heritage Park. Heritage Park has walkways which over look the imaginary Panther Island and the rest of the Boondoggle's messes.
Heritage Park has been a boarded up eyesore for years.
So much for paying propaganda lip service to memorializing Fort Worth's rich history on the banks of the Trinity River, which Heritage Park over looks.
Continuing on with our wade through The Boondoggle's propaganda we come to some interesting alleged facts about the Trinity Trails.
Again there is mention made of those user-requests. This time it is 90 user-requested trail improvements. Of these propaganda claims two stick out to me. 21 connected parks? Are there that many parks in all of Fort Worth, let alone being connected by some means? 31 connected neighborhoods? There are 31 neighborhoods in Fort Worth? And they are connected by trails? Or canoes?
And then, finally, we come to my favorite item in this surplus of absurd propaganda, Changes in 2015 for Gateway Park.
The strangest part of this info about Gateway Park is at the bottom, in small print, where it says "Gateway Park is a product of the Trinity River Vision."
A product?
In addition to learning Gateway Park is a product of The Boondoggle we also learn the Gateway Park product may be getting some new pedestrian bridges, picnic pavilions, canoe launches and a trailhead.
Along with more benches and tables, security lighting, restrooms and trails.
Additional restrooms? The only modern restroom facility in Gateway Park is in the softball complex, and it is locked unless there are games being played. Fort Woof in Gateway Park is served by outhouses, as is the soccer fields and other areas of Gateway Park, which, might I add, has picnic facilities, but, like most Fort Worth parks, no running water.
I will believe any of these "changes" in Gateway Park when I see them. Additional trails? Does this mean the trails damaged by flooding caused by Hurricane Hermine are finally going to be fixed?
Do these Gateway Park changes include fixing the park's Trinity River boardwalks? I blogged about those eyesores twice in September, the west boarded up boardwalk in A Moving Look At One Of Fort Worth's Boarded Up Gateway Park Boardwalks, the east boarded up boardwalk in Boardwalking In Fort Worth's Gateway Park Hunting For Endorphins & Copperheads. Both bloggings have video showing the decrepit condition of the boardwalks.
Also in September, in a blogging titled A Walk Through The Forest Of Trinity River Vision Gateway Park Master Plan Propaganda, I blogged about the bizarre TRV Boondoggle installation of signage by Fort Woof in Gateway Park, touting the imaginary wonders The Boondoggle will bring to Gateway Park. Also with video.
Back to today's 28 page piece of TRV Boondoggle propaganda. How much does it cost to print a publication like this? Does anyone know of any other public works projects, like The Boondoggle, that send out quarterly reports like this to the voters who have never voted on the public works project which really is not a public works project due to the fact the public has never voted for it?
Does the Dallas version of the Trinity River Vision send out quarterly reports? If they did, at least that vision has something to show, like that cool Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, which actually is a signature bridge.
I did make note of the fact that in its latest propaganda production The Boondoggle has ceased referring to its Three Bridges Over Nothing as being "signature" bridges which would become iconic Fort Worth images.
Ironically, I think there is a chance Fort Worth's Three Bridges Over Nothing may become iconic, but not in a way that will make the Fort Worth Boondogglers happy....
UPDATE: TRWD Board Member, Mary Kelleher, commented about the TRV Boondoggle's mailer on Facebook.....
As a TRWD board member, I'm embarrassed by this mailer!! Durango is correct....it is pure propaganda!
This TRV project is all about economic development not flood control. There are actually plans to lower the levees in some areas so the public would have easier access to the Trinity River. The FW 7th Street area recently experienced flooding with just a few inches of rain due to increased development in the area. Imagine if the levees are lowered and we get a real flood?!
And Gateway Park on the east side of FW is now designated as a flood overflow area. You know why? Because the people on the west side of FW fought against it and won.
There is so much unpermitted construction in the flood plain and floodway that even the best engineer in the world can predict what will happen the next time the Trinity River gets out of its banks. I especially fear for the safety of FW residents south and east of the Trinity River, even into Arlington!
In addition, neither the reason for this mailer nor the request for funds to finance this mailer was presented before the TRWD board. I plan to ask for the cost associated with this mailer. Most of us know the likelihood of me getting that information though!
Our water supply is challenged by our existing infrastructure. Where do we plan to get the water to support the masses of people this project hopes to attract?!
One last thought!
YOU CAN'T DRINK MONEY!
1 comment:
Just as a reminder, TRV was not supposed to cost the taxpayers any more than the $26.6M for the bridges. Now the cost to Ft Worth taxpayers exceeds $350M and the cost will be far more than predicted with the tax base less than predicted. In so many words - the taxpayers get screwed.
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