Dallas & Fort Worth's Dueling Photo Propagandists & Other Nonsense

I saw that which you see here this morning on Facebook. At first glance I thought Fort Worth's most renowned photographer had ventured east to aim his special brand of photo propaganda at Dallas.

Then on second thought I realized this photo looked too realistic, with the colors not exaggerated and saturated enough to be the work of Fort Worth's renowned photo propagandist.

Upon reading the text I learned that this Dallas photo was taken by an ex-Grateful Dead roadie named Warren Harris.

I do not know if Warren Harris has been hired to be the photographer for the Dallas version of the Trinity River Vision.

Fort Worth's renowned photo propagandist and the Fort Worth Trinity River Central City Panther Island Vision Boondoggle are a perfect fit, both so artfully able to exaggerate reality creating false impressions, which bear no relation to what most people's eyes see.

Signatures bridges, Panther Island where there is no island, 90+ user requested amenities, biggest urban water development project in North America, best urban waterfront music venue in Texas, world's premiere urban wakeboard park (currently badly flood damaged) and other exaggerated propaganda I am not remembering right now.

Speaking of the flood damaged Cowtown Wakepark. And who isn't? Who was the genius who thought it a good idea to invest in a pond a few feet from a river which is prone to serious flooding when Mother Nature decides to deliver a lot of water?

A couple months ago I blogged about a wakeboard lake in Phuket, Thailand, in a blogging titled Phuket's Anthem Is No Trinity River Vision Boondoggle Cowtown Wakepark.

Whoever was behind the Phuket River Vision had the vision to have the Anthem Lake not adjacent to a flooding river, or, I assume, accessible by an incoming tsunami.

I suspect no local Thai congresswoman's son was in charge of how Phuket's Anthem wakeboard lake came to be....

Being Perplexed By The Trinity River Vision Boondoggle's Slow Boat To China Building Pace

Remember to vote, May 8, for Adrian Murray and John Basham to restore accountability and common sense to the Tarrant Regional Water District Board.

Speaking of accountability, regarding what is known as the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle, this Vision Boondoggle came into view at some point late in the last century.

We are now 10 years into the new century.

Would you not think that with the Trinity River Vision being so important for the future of Fort Worth, with its extremely important Flood Diversion Channel so important for the safety of the citizens of Fort Worth, that we would have more to show for this extremely important project by now?

By contrast, another important public works/flood control project, though obviously not as important as the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle, Hoover Dam, started being built in 1931, was completed in 1936, two years ahead of schedule.

Another public works/flood control project, known as Grand Coulee Dam, started being built in 1933, completed in 1942.

That is Grand Coulee Dam in the picture at the top. Needed to tell you that in case you might think it was an artist's rendering of the Trinity River Vision's flood diversion channel and town lake.

It wasn't a Water Works Project, but the Empire State Building was built in 13 months. The new Dallas Cowboys Stadium, which was sort of a public works project, and definitely shared abusing eminent domain with the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle, took about 4 years to build.

So, if the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle is so darn important, why is it being built at the speed of the proverbial slow boat to China?

Speaking of China. Now there is an example of quickly building public works projects. Have you visited Shanghai lately? Their Yangtze River Vision with Shanghai's waterfront relationship with the Yangtze is a beautiful thing. There is no Shanghai Town Lake though, that I know of.

I was not long in Fort Worth before I was extremely perplexed at the slow speed of public works construction projects. There was this humongous highway project to the immediate east of downtown Fort Worth. A jumble of freeways coming together, with the intersection being rebuilt into something called The Mixmaster.

My first two years here I was amazed at how little progress seemed to be being made. Then one day I learned that The Mixmaster project was begun about a decade prior! Several years after that, The Mixmaster was complete. At some point in time that project really seemed to speed up, to its eventual fruition.

I don't think the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle is slated to be seen until sometime in the 2020's. Many of the souls being bilked for this Boondoggle will likely not live long enough to see the Vision.

Are Trinity River Vision contractors offered incentives if they get the job done quicker? Is there any actual work being done on the Vision that could be incentivized to get done quicker?

Again, if this is such an important project for the future of Fort Worth, and by extension, the World, since, as we all know, Fort Worth is the Envy of the World, routinely causing outbreaks of Green with Envy Syndrome, and since one of this project's supposed intentions is to save lives from being drowned by a flood, something that has not happened in decades, due to already in place, successful, flood control levees, why is this project being floated on that proverbial slow boat, instead of being fast tracked like Hoover Dam or the Empire State Building?

It is very perplexing. And even more perplexing is why aren't more people perplexed?

Fort Worth's Gateway Park Master Plan, Abandoned Boardwalks & Dogs

The above big billboard caught my attention as I walked across a Gateway Park soccer field today. There seemed to be a lot going on on the billboard. And other signs by it. I was curious. It was right next to Fort Woof.

There was a lot of activity at Gateway Park today. A big rugby tournament with loud music and really good smelling Texas BBQ. Texas BBQ is my favorite type of Texas air pollution. Fort Woof was having a lot of barking going on. Including a pair of barking abandoned pit bulls.

But, before the dogs, back to the sign. On it I learned there is something called "Gateway Fanatics." And "Go Gateway Activity Sponsors."

I was quickly getting the feeling that this had to be some Trinity River Vision thing. That feeling was confirmed when I saw that the Trinity River Vision is one of the Gateway Activity Sponsors. The ubiquitous Chesapeake Energy is also a sponsor.

A nice trail has been installed and along the trail were well done propaganda signs. But before I get to that I'm going to go to the dogs.

Over by the now defunct Trinity River boardwalks there were a pair of very lonely, tail-wagging pit bulls that appeared to have been abandoned. There were 2 large piles of dog food for them under a tree. The pair acted as if I was there to rescue them. I guess with so many dog lovers in Gateway Park this is a good place to abandon a dog. Eventually I'm sure the pair will hear the barkers in Fort Woof and head over there, hoping to be adopted by a dog lover.

Here you see the nice new trail and some of the propaganda signs for the "Gateway Park Master Plan" touting the planting of over 80,000 trees, an Equestrian trail, outdoor covered basketball courts, kayaking, preserving nature. That type stuff. It was very impressive. The big billboard at the top shows the layout of the new Gateway Park. It will expand west across Beach Street, to the area of the water pipeline I showed you in the previous blogging. Fort Woof will be greatly expanded.

Meanwhile, in Gateway Park, the elaborate wooden boardwalks that used to take you down to the Trinity River are still boarded up eyesores. Now, I'm thinking, if Fort Worth can't manage to maintain what they've already built in this park, what hope does this Gateway Park Master Plan really have? Which also reminded me of what the powers that be have allowed to happen to downtown Fort Worth's Heritage Park.

Here you see part of the complex of rugby fields. I could not get a picture showing how big the crowd was. But it was. Big and loud. This is a very nice complex of sports facilities. There are also very well done baseball fields in this park. However. One thing really bugs me. And it's not just a Fort Worth thing. I've been bugged about the same thing in an Arlington park, that being River Legacy.

Okay, like I said, Gateway Park's rugby/soccer fields are very well done. Except for one thing. The restroom facilities are a row of outhouses. Now, I know that indoor plumbing came later to the South than the rest of the country, but really, it is 2009, not 1909.

Food was being cooked and served at this event. Where were the handwashing facilities? At River Legacy they have a big pavilion which is rented out for events like weddings. I've seen a lot of weddings take place there over the years. With food. With the restroom facilities being 2 outhouses. A word stronger than tacky needs to be invented.

100 Degrees In The Pacific Northwest Hotter Than Texas

91.4 is not my temperature in Texas. That's the current temperature at half past one in my old hometown of Mount Vernon, Washington.

They are having themselves a HEAT WAVE. And now that it is the 90s, they are no longer being Weather Babies. They've got reason to whine.

Here in my Central Time Zone, two hours later than Pacific Time, we are not even in the 90s! In other words, it is HOTTER in Washington right now than it is in Texas.

The temperature in Seattle has gone over 100 at the National Weather Service's offices on Sandpoint Way, but the place where the official temperature is taken, that being Seattle-Tacoma Airport, the thermometer remains stuck in the 90s, with the expectation that it will go to 3 digits by the time the sun is done with its day's work.

I was in Washington in 2004 for a HOT August month. When I arrived I was cold, just like I was for my entire month in Tacoma, last year. When I arrived, in 2004, the temperature was in the 70s. The locals were whining, but I was cold. That was to end a few days later. My sister in Kent had relatives, like my mom and dad, over for a BBQ. The temperature that day was predicted to possibly break the record by getting to 100. It stalled at 98.

But it was so miserable that day. My sister has a real nice house, lots of shade, well insulated. But that house was HOT. Finally everyone left. I knew the hot tub had had its heater off for days. I told the few that remained to avert their eyes if they don't wanna see me in my boxer shorts, because I'm gonna get in that cool water. And so I did. I was staying that month in an apartment in Tacoma. It was so miserably hot that night.

Seattle Transit is advising bus riders they might not want to be on the buses today. Only 30% of the buses have air-conditioning.

I'm guessing the Puget Sound beaches are having themselves some record breaking crowds today. That's the beach by the Edmonds Ferry Dock, in the picture, taken back in 2004 during that heat wave. There is an underwater scuba diving park here and you often see seals. Edmonds is a Seattle suburb at the north end of the town.

Looking at that picture has me thinking, once more, how lucky those towns in the northwest are. So much water, all over the place, with so many fun things to do on or in the water. All natural, none of it the result of any Water Visions. I've heard of other places, not so blessed with natural water features, that come up with kooky cockamamie plans to build little lakes, thinking that people will flock to it and all sorts of businesses will spring up just to be near the murky waters of the little lake.

A Tale Of Two Cities: Fort Worth And....

No, not Fort Worth and Dallas. I'm talking about Fort Worth and Seattle.

One of the many things that makes living in a new location interesting is noticing how differently things are done.

Like Public Works projects.

Both Seattle and Fort Worth have projects in the works that involve water.

In Fort Worth the water project involves changing the Trinity River, obliterating two forks that join at the north side of downtown, making the confluence into a little lake, taking down the flood levees, building a flood diversion channel and some canals where housing and restaurants will be built, along with 3 new bridges.

Seattle's water-related project involves tearing down what is known as the Alaskan Way Viaduct, that being an elevated section of Highway 99 that runs along Seattle's downtown waterfront. The Alaskan Way Viaduct is of a similar design to San Francisco's Embarcadero Freeway that came crashing down in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The Alaskan Way Viaduct was damaged during Seattle's last earthquake.

There has been one public vote in Seattle regarding replacement options. That vote did not settle the issue. Because it is a state highway, the state got involved. After a lot of debate the governor decided on a $4.2 billion tunnel option.

In a classic example of how differently things work up north, Elizabeth Campbell filed an initiative to prohibit replacing the viaduct with a tunnel. The Initiative was coincidentally named Initiative 99, like Highway 99. This initiative was filed the same day Governor Christine Gregoire and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and King County Executive Ron Sims announced the agreement to build the $4.2 billion tunnel.

Campbell has to get 17,968 signatures to have her initiative either adopted by the city council or sent to a public vote. Campbell thinks the tunnel option is ridiculous, preferring a cable-stay bridge over Elliot Bay.

Meanwhile, in Fort Worth, what is known as the Trinity River Vision has not been put to a single public vote. Though a lot of people think the vision is a boondoggle, there has been no attempt to force a vote, via petition or any other means. Fort Worth has snagged some pork barrel bucks, due to the machinations of Congresswoman Kay Granger, who's son runs the Fort Worth Vision, in what many consider an outrageous example of nepotism.

In these new, leaner times it is likely the Federal dollars will be cut from Fort Worth's Bridge to Nowhere. Unless, I would guess, Fort Worth's citizens finally get to vote and approve of the project, including taxing themselves to build it.

And then there is a third city. Dallas. Also with a Trinity River Vision. The citizens of Dallas have voted and approved of their vision. The first of 3 signature bridges is under construction.

I'm guessing Dallas is going to see its vision turn into a reality long before Fort Worth's Town Lake sees its first boat or the first car drives through Seattle's mile long $4.2 billion tunnel.

Unless another earthquake knocks down the Alaskan Way Viaduct, forcing a fast fix.

Dallas Trinity River Corridor Project & Fort Worth Trinity River Vision

It is strange, now, getting my Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex news from the Dallas Morning News, rather than the Fort Wort Star-Telegram. I've learned of all sorts of interesting things going on in the Dallas zone that I did not know about from reading the Star-Telegram.

Like a huge new arts complex (was it opera?) going up in what Dallas calls its Arts District. I find that way less pretentious sounding than Fort Worth's Cultural District.

And there is a very cool new bridge about to open, spanning across Lake Lewisville.

But the most interesting thing I've read in the Dallas paper, that is pretty much ignored in the Fort Worth paper, is the progress Dallas is making with their Trinity River Corridor Project.

The gestation of the 2 town's river projects is interesting. The vision came first to Dallas. If I remember right, originally it was called The Trinity River Vision Project. The plan was to turn a huge flood plain into a lake with recreational amenities. That has grown to being quite more complex and interesting.

A few years after Dallas had its vision, Fort Worth had one of its own. Fort Worth's started off being called, quite simply, "Town Lake." But as the vision grew clearer, Fort Worth figured out it needed a way to scam Federal dollars. And it was renamed "The Trinity River Vision." So, Dallas changed its projects name to "Dallas Trinity River Corridor Project." Soon Fort Worth's vision will likely become "Fort Worth Trinity River Corridor Project." After which, Dallas will change its name again. It's a vicious cycle here, between these two towns.

So, the Town Lake was overshadowed by the suddenly necessary, "River Diversion Channel," to prevent a flood, the likes of what happened in the early 50s, that the Army Corps of Engineers already fixed with massive dikes along the flood zone. So, Town Lake grew from a little lake to a lake with canals and a diversion channel. This required 3 new bridges. Just like Dallas.

Of course, the Fort Worth bridges are smaller than the Dallas bridges and cost way less.

It is pretty easy to see where the Fort Worth Vision may go blind during the likely upcoming period where the Feds get a bit more picky about handing out bucks to bridges that go nowhere. Or River Diversion Channels where none is needed.

Meanwhile, over at the official website of the Dallas Trinity River Corridor Project I found some of the type verbiage that made me cringe when I read it in the Fort Wort Star-Telegram. As in this Dallas project is "the most complex and the largest urban development effort undertaken by the city and it will make Dallas the envy of other large cities..."

Maybe it is a Texas thing. "Envy of." "Green with Envy." However, looking at the info about the Dallas Trinity Corridor Project and all that has already been done and what the goal is, I'm thinking that this Project is going to amp up Dallas' coolness and Dallas is already pretty darn cool.

For those of you who know Dallas, only through J.R. Ewing, well, you know the opening credits of Dallas, where you swoop across an open area and head to downtown Dallas with Reunion Tower standing tall? Well, that open area is the zone of the Trinity Corridor Project. Picture the opening of Dallas now, swooping across a series of lakes, forests of trees, trails and 3 unique bridges designed by internationally acclaimed architect, sculptor and engineer, Santiago Calatrava.

I really like what I've seen of the bridge designs. The first bridge is supposed to soon be under construction.

Meanwhile, here in Fort Worth, the vision continues. So far, near as I can tell, it involves using Eminent Domain to tear down some businesses. I don't know when a Town Lake is going to destroy Fort Worth's historic confluence of the West and Clear Forks of the Trinity River.

The Fort Worth Way

An interesting letter to the editor, this morning, in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, reinforced, for me, what's been my observation after seeing Fort Worth in operation during my years of exile here.

Fort Worth is basically an oligarchy. That's where political power rests with a small elite of society, distinguished by wealth, family or military powers, or a combo of all three. In Fort Worth wealth and family can put you in the oligarchy, a Greek word which means "rule by few."

Below is the letter to the editor that sort of discusses the Fort Worth oligarchy and how it operated during the recent Tarrant County College, Radio Shack Headquarters Debacle Boondoggle.

Recognize the Fort Worth way

In retrospect, the grand plan for the downtown Tarrant County College campus failed because outsiders had no understanding of how Fort Worth operates. Neither architect Bing Thom nor Chancellor Leonardo de la Garza are native. They chose to operate unilaterally rather than get consensus and approval of the local power structure. Result: fiasco.

Arrogantly they forged ahead without going through historical power channels. For the first half of the 20th century that meant Amon Carter. Nothing important got done without Carter’s blessing.

After Carter’s demise, the power shifted to a group of businessmen loosely referred to as the Seventh Street Gang, mostly bankers and utility executives. When federal deregulation sapped their power, the young Bass brothers took over and reshaped the city.

Always working quietly behind the scenes, they have been the force to be consulted with regarding city development for a couple of decades. TCC disregarded this, and has flopped spectacularly regardless of the merit of its plan. Bass opposition to the Thom plan should have been a signal to proceed with caution.

Solution: Rather than proceed with a “split campus” as proposed, turn the bluff property east of the courthouse over to the innovative Bass family to develop. They would come up with a suitable project that Fort Worth can be proud of, and which will enhance the proposed Trinity Uptown development.

— Jack White, Fort Worth

Fort Worth's Trinity River Vision

Yesterday, in a blogging suggesting Fort Worth build a Rotating Tower, I mentioned that a current, slow-going project, known as the Trinity River Vision was a likely boondoggle.

Mr. Anonymous commented on the blogging and the reference to "boondoggle" with this:

"The TRV is crucial to the city's future. It's no boondoggle, and it's far more than what you're describing. It will serve as a critically important tool to give new residents an alternative to the idiotic suburban sprawl that cripples our wonderful city."

From Wikipedia, defining Boondoggle---"Boondoggle has come to refer to a government or corporate project involving large numbers of people and usually, heavy expenditure, where at some point the key operators have realized that the project is never going to work, but are reluctant to bring this to the attention of their superiors. Generally there is an aspect of "going through the motions"—for example, continuing research and development—as long as funds are available to keep paying the researchers' and executives' salaries. The situation can be allowed to continue for what seem like unreasonably long periods, as senior management are often reluctant to admit that they allowed a failed project to go on for so long. In many cases, the actual device itself may eventually work, but not well enough to ever recoup its development costs."

Note, I did not say the TRV project was a Boondoggle, I said it would likely become one. Now, why do I think this project may become a Boondoggle? Well. The proposed area is an industrial wasteland. I remember when Tacoma wanted to remove an old industrial plant from the waterfront called Asarco, it became one of the biggest Superfund pollution cleanups ever. I suspect when the bulldozers begin to do their thing and testing of the soil is done, bad things are going to be found.

Another reason I think this is a likely Boondoggle is originally the plan did not call for a flood diversion channel. That was added on so as to justify getting Federal money for the project. The Trinity River flooded badly at some point in the 1950s. After that, dam-like dikes were built to stop that sort of flood from happening again. Now those dam-like dikes are to be taken down due to the diversion channel supposedly being able to handle an epic flood.

Another reason I think this may turn out to be yet one more Fort Worth Boondoggle is I've seen so many since I've been here. The Sante Fe Rail Market Boondoggle where city planners claimed an extremely lame food court type thing was the first public market in Texas and was modeled after Seattle's Pike Place and markets in Europe. Instead it was a Boondoggle.

The Lancaster Avenue Redevelopment Boondoggle. Years ago a section of Interstate 30, that hovered above Lancaster Avenue, was removed, revealing a very run down section of highway, just south of another Fort Worth Boondoggle, that being the Convention Center, where few Conventions take place, and where a city-subsidized hotel is under construction which will likely turn into yet one more Boondoggle, when it fails to cause an increase in Convention bookings.

After the freeway came down the plans were to quickly fix up Lancaster Avenue, with landscaping. But for years it remained a heavily weeded eyesore. In the past year there has been some improvement. But there are still none of the promised restaurants or flurry of other development, except for converting an old building into lofts.

The whole Cabela's deal is sort of a Fort Worth Boondoggle.

The city of Fort Worth taking over the failed Mercado in the Stockyards zone is pretty much a Boondoggle.

So, it's no mystery to me why I think this Trinity River Vision may turn out to be yet one more Boondoggle. Mr. Anonymous said the vision is far more than I described. Yes, I failed to mention that part of the Visioneer's claims is that this will spur residential development, restaurants and other entertainment venues. Sort of the same stuff I read about what would happen with Lancaster Avenue and the Sante Fe Rail Market.

One good thing has been added to the Trinity River Vision, that being sprawling the project all the way to Gateway Park and restoring wetlands.

Now, I really hope the Trinity River Vision does not turn out to be a Boondoggle, I really do. But when you don't put such a thing to a vote of your citizens, when the person in charge of the project is the son of the Congresswoman who represents Fort Worth (this is what is known as nepotism), when you add bogus elements (an unneeded diversion channel), when there are great unknowns (a potential massive Superfund pollution cleanup), you've got a recipe for total Boondoggle.

Or so it would seem to me.