Flooding Return To Wichita Falls Freshly Appalled By Bad DFW Urban Planning

I headed southeast to the D/FW zone around eight this morning, via a northern route which does not give me a good look at Holliday Creek.

Returning to Wichita Falls this afternoon via a route which takes me directly over Holliday Creek I saw more water running rapid in that creek than I had ever seen previously.

I guess it takes a day or two for the downpours to drain their way into Holliday Creek and then on to the Wichita River.

So, after putting items in need of refrigeration in the refrigerator I got back in my motorized conveyance device and drove to Lake Wichita to see the water spilling over the Lake Wichita Dam spillway.

I had not heard such a cacophony of water roaring since the last time I was at Snoqualmie Falls during a flood, back in my old home state of Washington, back at some point in time late in the last century.

Unlike Snoqualmie Falls the ground was not shaking from the force of the water. However, like Snoqualmie Falls, eventually I did get hit by some misting, though not at the drenching level one experiences at Snoqualmie Falls when it is in full fall mode.

The view you see above is from atop the dam, looking over the spillway at flooded Holliday Creek.

The Holliday Creek floodway seems well designed to move a lot of flood water without creating any problems.

Good urban planning, well, actually the lack of good urban planning, came to mind today as I entered Fort Worth via 287 and saw the mess of new houses crammed together in the area I moved to when first in Texas.

That first location in Texas was the Fort Worth suburb of Haslet, on a road then called Hicks. Later changed to Bonds Ranch Road when a housing development named Bonds Ranch came to be several miles to the west. I have never known why this caused a name change, which I found inconvenient, rendering my address wrong on checks and my driver's license.

At that point in time, at the start of this century, Haslet was a remote rural zone. This vexed me upon arrival. I had never lived out in the country before. It seemed a vexing distance just to get to a grocery store. And the puny skyline of downtown Fort Worth stuck up way in the distance to the south.

The Haslet side of Hicks Road was out of the Fort Worth zone of madness. Fort Worth was on the south side of Hicks Road. Back when I lived there the Fort Worth side of Hicks Road was made up of ranches with big acreage. As far as one could see one saw fields of green, with that aforementioned pitiful Fort Worth skyline way in the distance.

And now, not that many years later, that which was open ranch land may now be the world's best example of bad, maybe non-existent, urban planning.

Before permitting the construction of what appears to be thousands of homes the roads were not upgraded, not added to. Drainage was not installed to facilitate the moving of water which now had nowhere to drain into the ground, due to the ground being covered with homes and driveways and side streets.

Ever since I have been going regularly to Arizona, to the Phoenix zone, I return freshly appalled at the bad urban planning of Fort Worth, and well, other towns in the D/FW Metroplex.

Like today, I turned from Western Center Boulevard, south on to the Denton Highway, also known as, I think, 377, in Haltom City.

For over a year now, every time I make this turn onto that Haltom City road, Arizona Avenue, Alma School Road, Dobson Road, and other roads in Arizona come to mind. Those roads in Arizona are multi-laned roads, like that road in Haltom City.

But the Arizona roads are landscaped, with wide sidewalks on both sides of the road. A landscaped median. Aesthetically pleasing lighting and signage. The roads newly paved, no potholes, no big cracks, no weeds, no feeling like one has suddenly exited America to a third world country.

That lack of good road lighting really vexed me on December 17 when I drove the Haltom City section of the Denton Highway after dark. The road poorly lit, poorly marked. Dangerous.

But, it is the bad urban planning in Fort Worth that is really appalling, and I would think may rise to the level of some sort of criminal irresponsibility. What with people drowning in Fort Worth flash floods due to un-mitigated construction messing up Mother Nature and causing flooding, sometimes in flash mode, with deadly results.

Anyway, it seems so odd how some locations in Texas seem to be modern American towns, with urban planning of the sort one associates with a modern American town. Wichita Falls falls into that modern American town category, or so it seems, in many ways, while Fort Worth is a Texas location that does not quite keep up with that modern American town concept, in so many ways.

For example, I have never seen an outhouse in a Wichita Falls city park. Are there any Fort Worth city parks which do not have at least one outhouse?

This outhouse measurement is just one example of what I mean by that modern American town concept. Modern American towns do not have outhouses in their city parks. This is sort of an easy fix, and a easy indicator of a town's level of development. Or so it would seem, and one very glaring example of very bad urban planning...

No Haltom City Buffalo Elsie Hotpepper Lunch With Fried Blackberry Pie

Well, I have had myself a day. A long day. A long day of feeling like I was inside an amusing situation comedy, but not laughing all that much.

The day began with an early drive into bright sun and heavy wind to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metromess town of Haltom City.

The destination today was a new one, not the regular monthly trek to a specific location in Euless.

Today's new trek's destination was via this bumpy route called Haltom Road.

Did you know Haltom City does not open its library til a half hour before 11? Neither did I. Soon after finding that out I found out Haltom City is one of the D/FW towns in which driving can grind to a halt due to a train crossing town.

Eventually I reached my first destination. A short time after that, since I was in the neighborhood, I decided to check out how Gateway Park is doing. I took some photo documentation, but that will have to wait til tomorrow, because the Gateway Park part of the day was not situation comedy material, maybe tragi-comedy material. We'll see how I think about that when I tell about that which I saw in that Fort Worth location if I get around to doing so tomorrow.

Leaving Gateway Park the Beach Street route back to Haltom City takes me by Town Talk. Til today it had been a couple years since I'd been in Town Talk. Yogurt Sale on the reader board is what caused me to stop. The hope I'd find some exotic yogurt. I miss good exotic yogurt. Siggis comes to mind.

Dud. Town Talk is worse now than years ago when I decided to stop stopping. Sometimes a new owner thinks he/she has some great ideas, but those great ideas are not what was working in the first place. I can't see myself stopping at Town Talk ever again..

After Town Talk, like I said I was doing, I headed back to Haltom City, to a sub-city of Haltom City called Fuel City.

I expected Elsie Hotpepper to show up at Fuel City for lunch. I waited and waited and waited. Eventually I had a fried blackberry pie and a couple tacos, consumed whilst watching the Haltom City Herd which consists of a couple really big longhorns, a zebra, and a buffalo.

After about an hour of waiting for Elsie Hotpepper I got a text message telling me a pickup was ready in five minutes. I headed to the pickup zone, then headed to a bank back in Fort Worth to deposit a check. The route to the bank was adventurous, through Haltom City/Richland Hills No-Man's Land, eventually reaching smooth passage on Handley-Ederville Road.

Two seconds at the bank and it was realized the person who issued the check had neglected to sign the check. So, a phone call was made, and it was back to Haltom City, this time via the fast route on the 820 freeway to 121.

Nope. Total traffic jam on 820, so it was Randol Mill Road, back to Handley-Ederviille, back to 121 and then back to Haltom City where the check was signed, and then back to Fort Worth to the bank, via the southbound 820 route, which was not jammed.

After the bank, due to that aforementioned traffic jam, the route to the next destination, WinCo, an alternative route had to be taken. So, once more it was back to Randol Mill Road, via Brentwood Stair, and whatever the name of the road which connects the two, then crossing over the Trinity River and a new bridge which was actually built over real water, in way less than four years, in Fort Worth, at the same time that embarrassing bridge boondoggle limps along in another part of town.

Crossing that bridge the road goes by Gateway Park, then it was right on Beach, by Town Talk, again, then back to Haltom Road, driving by Fuel City and the zebra, buffalo, longhorn gang.

And now the I need gas light was on. No problemo. I stopped at a gas pumper I've pumped at many times. Inserted the card, entered the PIN. And then "CARD INVALID" or "CARD DECLINED". I don't remember for sure. I was already stressed out. That card had just been used to make that aforementioned check deposit.

I figured gas pump malfunction and continued on to Sam's Club where I had pumped previously. Same result. Total rejection.

Use another card? Can't find it. I don't have dozens of cards. Where is the other one? I start to get concerned. I have enough cash to get enough gas to get where I need to go, but still, why was the card getting rejected? I wanted to go to WinCo and get stocked up. I needed that card working. Figured it'd work at WinCo, that the card problem was a gas pumping malady.

I get to WinCo, take out the card, look at it, see the expiration date is 1/2018. I see that and think, wait, I just replaced this card with a new one the bank sent me last month.

At this point I am totally befuddled and completely bum puzzled.

And then I shuffle some papers on the paper holding thing between seats and I see another card. I pick it up. It's the new card. The one I had just used to make a deposit. Why was the old card in the vehicle? I'd activated the new card from inside my abode, took out the old card, or so I thought, and stuck the new card in my card holder.

I still have absolutely no clue by what mysterious means this confusing card conundrum happened.

So, went into WinCo, got the goods, and then proceeded to have myself a mighty fine drive back to Wichita Falls where I will likely be having nightmares involving bank cards tonight...

Successful Quest To Find Ally Collins Memorial Plaque In Haltom City's Whites Branch Park

A couple days ago I blogged about A Flooded Walk In Modern, Progressive, Liberal Haltom City's Whites Branch Park.

A few minutes after I hit the publish button on that blogging, Haltom City's modern, progressive, liberal known as Elsie Hotpepper text messaged me something along the line of "You loomed in on uni-sex restroom signs, but ignored the Ally plaque?"

I replied, in my defense, that I did not realize Whites Branch Park was the location of Ally's Playground and the plaque dedicated to Ally's memory.

I told Elsie I would return soon and find that plaque.

Shortly before noon I found myself in the Haltom City Library, where the aforementioned Elsie Hotpepper texted me asking "Are you OK? And have you found that Ally plaque yet?

I texted back that I was not OK, that I was in the Haltom City Library, but would soon journey north in search of the elusive Ally plaque.

So, I headed north on Haltom Road til Haltom Road intersected with Western Center Boulevard. I took a right on Western Center Boulevard, assuming that it eventually turned into Wautaga Boulevard before turning into Mid-Cities Boulevard.

I assumed correctly. A short distance after turning on to Western Center Boulevard I saw the entry to Whites Branch Park.

I walked all over the playground, looking for the Ally Collins Memorial Plaque, to no avail. I walked all over the Splash Park, again to no avail.

I texted Elsie Hotpepper asking where exactly this Ally plaque was located. Elsie Hotpepper did not get back to me before I found the Ally plaque on my own.

My search originally did not succeed because I was looking for a big vertical plaque.

Instead the Ally Collins Memorial Plaque is about the size of an i-Pad, installed flush to the ground, at the northern edge of Ally's Playground.

Ally's Playground is quite well done, along with the Splash Park. I should have thought to take a picture of it, showing the plaque. I shall return, but not today.....

A Flooded Walk In Modern, Progressive, Liberal Haltom City's Whites Branch Park

At noon I ventured out under a dangerous looking sky to head slightly north and west, on Watauga Boulevard, to progressive, liberal, modern Haltom City to Whites Branch Park where I soon found myself walking beside a flooding creek, the name of which I am not sure.

I am assuming Whites Branch is a branch of one of the Fossil Creeks, with ordinary Fossil Creek, or Big Fossil Creek or Little Fossil Creek.

I am likely confused regarding Haltom City's Fossil Creeks. I really would know nothing of these Haltom City creeks except for the fact that they are one of the main nemesis of Elsie Hotpepper.

Below is Whites Branch in flood mode. I was rather liking the sound of the water rushing, combined with birds tweeting, along with excess negative ions charging the air. I made a short video you can watch below, in which you can hear the water rushing and the birds tweeting but you won't get the negative ion experience.

Below is evidence that Haltom City is a modern, progressive, liberal American city, unlike the big city Haltom City borders.

Even though Whites Branch Park is a small park, it has modern restroom facilities, with running water, including drinking faucets, two of which you see here. Two more drinking faucets were located near the Whites Branch Park Picnic Pavilion.

A real pavilion, unlike the imaginary pavilion you can't find at a nearby town which also has an imaginary island.

As for Haltom City being a progressive, liberal, modern American town, let's zoom in for a closeup of evidence of that fact...

Uni-sex restroom facilities, with the same facility permitted to be used by a man, woman or person using a wheel chair. What a daring concept.

And now the aforementioned video....

Seeking Endorphins On The First Drippy Friday Of December

Looking through the bars of my patio prison cell, late in the morning of the first Friday of the last month of 2014, with the outer world a bit damp, but warmed to the relatively balmy temperature of 69 degrees, I am feeling in dire need of some serious aerobic stimulation and that stimulation's resultant endorphins.

I was in the Hot Tub and Pool last night and real early this morning. The Hot Tub and Pool really don't give me the level of endorphins that I get from bike riding or hill hiking.

I had a rough night last night, way too many disturbing nightmares. I really should not watch any Mama's Family sketches from the Carol Burnett Show prior to sleep time.

In the middle of the night during one of my awake bouts I had what at the time seemed to be a really good blogging inspiration. Suffice to say the subject was Fort Worth and the phrase "Where the Best Begins" played a prominent role. But, that particular blogging inspiration is currently stalled. Maybe a dose of endorphins would help re-stimulate me, inspiration-wise.

Yesterday's drizzle had me in Haltom City in the noon time frame for the Grand Opening of a new ALDI. I got a lot of freebies during the course of the ALDI visit. Plus some amusing aggravation when somehow a single bag of carrots at $1.39 rang up as 7 bags of carrots at $9.73. I think the embarrassment at the embarrassing mistake is why I ended up being given extra canvas ALDI shopping bags,  filled with goodies, most of which is not the type stuff I eat.

Candy bars.

I did not even like candy bars when I was a kid. In the canvas bags were a couple versions of bags of peanuts, a sweet and salty almond all natural bar, which was tasty, and a couple bags of popcorn. So, all that ALDI gave me was not of the candy bar sort, but most of it was.

I think I will hit the publish button on this blogging and then hit the outer world and see if I can find myself some of those elusive endorphins....

Today Ally's Playground In Haltom City Was Dedicated To The Memory Of Ally Collins

Way back in June of 2007, day after day of rain fell on North Texas.

On June 19, 2007, Whites Branch Creek in Haltom City went into flash flood mode.

Four year old Alexandria "Ally" Collins was ripped from her mother's arms by the flood and drowned.

Today, over six years later, a memorial plaque was unveiled in Ally's Playground in Whites Branch Park in Haltom City.

In the years since Ally drowned her death has galvanized a lot of political action in the Fort Worth/Haltom City area, due to the fact that little has been done to mitigate the flash flooding problem of the creeks which run through Haltom City.

While little has been done to prevent future Haltom City flash flood drownings, millions of dollars have been spent elsewhere in Tarrant County on a project known as the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle, which is promoted primarily as a much needed flood control project, even though no one has drowned in a flood in the area of the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle in over a half a century, where millions of dollars had already been spent, a half century ago, to build giant levees to prevent any flash flood of the sort which killed little Ally Collins.

A Discombobulating Detour Through Haltom City

Today started off fine with my regular early morning swim.

As noon approached a doctor's visit in Euless began to have a discombobulating effect on the day.

After an uneventful lunch I decided to drive north the short 6 mile distance to ALDI.

Driving to the ALDI in Hurst takes me through the 121/820 road construction mess.

On the way north through the mess the signage confused me, the new road alignment added to the confusion. I thought I was on the correct lane, the one heading to D/FW Airport and Precinct Line Road. Instead I was on the flyover that exits to Davis Boulevard.

No big deal.

I had intended to take the TCC/Davis Boulevard exit if the freeway appeared jammed when I got to that location.

When I got to ALDI I saw that Precinct Line Road was backed up worse than I'd ever seen it. My intention had been to take backroads to return to my abode, after ALDI.

When I exited ALDI and turned on to Precinct Line Road it soon became apparent that the 5 southbound lanes were being squeezed down to two. But, the freeway entry lane option was clear sailing. So, I changed my mind and decided to take the freeway, 5 minutes to home, option.

Big mistake.

Again the construction had changed the road alignment since I'd last passed through this mess. The signage again confused me. And before I could fix the mistake I found myself heading west on 820 for the first time in years.

I figured I'd get off at the first exit and make my way south on surface streets. Good plan, but there were no exits. All were closed. Til I got to Rufe Snow Road. Eventually, after waiting through maybe 5 green light cycles I reached the spot you see in the photo above.

I took a left when that light turned green and headed south on Rufe Snow. Eventually I came to 183. I headed west on 183, thinking I'd quickly come to Beach Street, then make my way past Town Talk, then home on Randol Mill.

Eventually I did make it to Beach Street, but not before a mighty fine tour of beautiful downtown Haltom City where I saw that the Haltom City Theater is celebrating being alive for 65 years and is in need of some sprucing up.

I think today was the most driving I have done in the D/FW zone since my mom and dad were here in 2009. By the time I got back to air-conditioned comfort I felt like I'd driven 70 to 80 miles. But, my odometer indicated the reality was I'd only driven 22 miles.

I don't think I will be driving to the Hurst ALDI anymore til the road construction is complete. Why is it seeming like deja vu, me saying that?

Ally Collins Can Not Vote So I'm Voting Basham-Nold-Kelleher For The TRWD Board In Her Memory

In the past few days I have been annoyed a time or two when I've read shills for the TRWD Board dismiss the B-N-K sweep out the corruption slate as being made up of a bunch of Tea Party nutjobs.

A couple minutes ago I learned I was not the only one who finds these Tea Party dismissive jabs as being moronic low blows, when I read the following...

While the BNK candidates do have support from the Tea Party, they also have support from the Republican Party, the Democratic Party and the Libertarian Party.  They know water is nonpartisan.  You'd think a "news" paper writer would know that.

I believe the "news" paper writer being referred to is Bud Kennedy. I have read Bud Kennedy refer to the B-N-K group as Tea Partiers.

I think I am part of the B-N-K group. I am definitely not a Tea Partier. If anything I'm the opposite of that mindset. If had to politically label myself I think I would call myself a Progressive Liberal Democrat sort of person.

The TRWD Board shills seem to think that there is some sort of dark conspiracy of ulterior motives that is hitting them out of the blue. Allow me to disabuse that notion.

On June 18, 2007 four year old Ally Collins was snatched from her home by a rampaging, flash flooding Whites Branch Creek in Haltom City. The drowning of Ally Collins, along with the flash flood property damage from Whites Branch Creek and Big Fossil Creek and the follow up non-action by those whose responsibility it is to help mitigate flood dangers, galvanized the citizen reaction you are seeing in this TRWD Board election.

Back in 2010 Adrian Murray gave a speech which clearly articulates why so many voters are completely disgusted by the corrupt Tarrant Regional Water District. You can read Adrian Murray's speech in its entirety here, and a relevant excerpt below...

The Tarrant Regional Water District is responsible for flood control in the areas under its domain. It, along with the Army Corps of Engineers, had been studying the persistent flooding in the Big Fossil Creek watershed for decades. Yet nothing was ever done for, as the residents in the area were told, the money just wasn't there.

For all of Ally's short life, the focus of the TRWD had been on something not in its charter: commercial real estate development. Disguised as flood control, the project known as the Trinity River Vision was given birth by the Fort Worth City Council just days after Ally was born. The project consumed the energy, resources and time of the water district's management and board, funneling hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars into a grand scheme to construct a town lake at the confluence of the Clear Fork and West Fork of the Trinity River where Fort Worth itself had been born. The watershed to the north could wait.

A feasibility study for the watershed had been initiated by the US Army Corps of Engineers in February 2001. In a letter to Congresswoman Kay Granger in November 2009, Col. Richard Muraski of the Corps stated that, "Due to a variety of issues, including a lack of consistent funding, higher priority work and technical shortcomings, completion of the study has taken longer than normal." He went on to state that the Corp recognized the "history of destructive flooding" in the area and that approximately $100,000 would be provided to "continue the studies of the Big Fossil Creek watershed."

Meanwhile, $54 million has been spent to date by the TRWD on the Trinity River Vision and the Corps of Engineers has committed $110 million to this alleged flood control project, in an area that hasn't had a significant flood in over 60 years. The project has an estimated budget of $909 million, a figure which is sure to rise.

Ally Collins could have known none of this, of course. She was just a little girl, with little girl dreams. We will never know with certainty if Ally would still be with us today if the Corps of Engineers had not been shackled with a lack of consistent funding and higher priority work. We can say, however, with some certainty, that Ally's destiny was determined in the days just after she was born, when matters of priority and profit, prestige and power, influence and arrogance merged together in the great confluence of corruption and greed that would one day sweep her away in the great dark waters of fate.

In a few minutes Progressive Liberal Democratic me is taking off to do my early voting duty for Basham, Nold and Kelleher.

And now you know why I am voting to vote the rascals out, hoping to replace them with decent, caring humans who might help prevent any future Ally's from meeting a similar horrific fate.

A Tale Of Two Town's Flood Control Projects: Fort Worth & Mount Vernon

Currently, here in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex zone, we are in the midst of a thunderstorm. Usually a thunderstorm is accompanied by rain. Often in copious, flood causing amounts.

However.

No matter how much rain falls, or how high the Trinity River rises, it is highly unlikely a flood would breech the enormous levees that contain the river as it flows past downtown Fort Worth.

These levees, on the Trinity River, were built over 50 years ago, paid for by the kind taxpayers of America, after the downtown Fort Worth zone was damaged by a really bad flood at some point in time in the early 1950s, if I remember correctly.

I read some news in my old hometown newspaper, the Skagit Valley Herald, this morning, that had me being perplexed. Apparently tomorrow the Mount Vernon City Council is expected to approve a plan to borrow $1 million of the town's future federal funds, to close a funding gap on the $12.9 million cost of Phase II of Mount Vernon's Downtown Flood Protection and Revitalization Project.

Let me explain downtown Mount Vernon and its flooding issue to you.

When the Skagit River goes into big flood mode, downtown Mount Vernon becomes like New Orleans. It is below the level of the flooding river. So, a temporary sandbag dike has to be quickly built, on top of the existing dike, to keep the river from destroying downtown Mount Vernon.

In November of 1995 record rains brought record flooding to all the rivers of the Puget Sound zone. I remember watching the flooding, on TV, at 1 in the morning, when  KING  5, out of Seattle, went live to downtown Mount Vernon where the  KING 5 reporter made it sound as if a fevered effort was underway to save the downtown Mount Vernon library. The TV screen showed a beehive of activity by the library.

I remember being shocked. I woke up some help and headed to downtown Mount Vernon. At the library I found out what was actually going on was a sand bagging operation, with the filled sandbags being brought to the revetment to build a secondary dike. That was where the help was needed, so that is where we went.

Sandbag Wall in Mt. Vernon While the Skagit River Rises

There may have been well over 1,000 people in downtown Mount Vernon working to build a sandbag wall.

Hundreds of National Guard troops were helping.

Sometime around 3 in the morning we were told we'd done all we could do, the sandbags could go no higher.

The Skagit River was expected to crest around 11 that morning. It was expected to crest well over a foot above the sandbag wall. All the businesses in downtown Mount Vernon were sandbagged to help stop the expected flood.

By the time of the crest, I, along with a lot of other people, watched from high ground as the river crept to the top of the sandbag wall. Just as it was starting to go over the top, the river suddenly dropped a foot or more. Everyone was mystified. It was like there had been a divine intervention.

But, we soon were to learn what had actually happened, as emergency sirens sounded and helicopters began to appear. A dike, downriver a couple miles, had popped a couple hundred foot breech, flooding what is known as Fir Island.

Needless to say, Mount Vernon and the Skagit Valley were in a State of Emergency.

And then, 2 weeks later, after the Fir Island dike had been repaired, it happened again.

From that point Mount Vernon decided something needed to be done, after coming to the point of disaster, twice within 2 weeks. In 2007 Mount Vernon bought a mobile flood wall from a Norwegian company, the first such thing to be installed in America. Now, just a few people can put up a wall in a couple hours, where previously it took half a day and 100s of workers.

But, this was a temporary solution. Phase II of the Downtown Flood Protection and Revitalization Project replaces the mobile flood wall with a permanent solution that will take downtown Mount Vernon off FEMA's list of vulnerable flood zones.

That is a list that downtown Fort Worth is not on.

Now, how is it that Fort Worth and its bizarro Trinity River Vision Boondoggle has gotten millions of federal dollars for an un-needed flood control project that will build a likely ridiculous looking, un-needed flood diversion channel, so that the levees that have stopped flooding for decades can be removed?

Meanwhile, Mount Vernon, which has an actual, real, flood problem, that has caused problems for decades, scrambles to find the money to build a permanent fix.

Is this a function of the fact that the congressperson who represents the district in which Mount Vernon is located is not a corrupt politician willing to finagle shady deals to channel federal money Mount Vernon's way, whilst Fort Worth is represented by a corrupt congresswoman who stands to make financial gains from the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle which she has helped to fund, which, in addition to providing her financial gain, also provided her son, J.D. Granger, the job of running the project, a job for which J.D. Granger has absolutely zero qualifications?

The installing her son to run the TRV Boondoggle is sufficient cause to attach the "corrupt" label to this corrupt politician, let alone all the other reasons.

Why do not more people find the TRV Boondoggle's wastefulness and lack of need to be perplexing, particularly when there are locations in America where money could be spent to fix an actual flooding problem?

Places like Haltom City and Mount Vernon.

If you'd asked me if the 1995 flood I'm talking about above was the infamous Thanksgiving Day Flood, I would have said, yes it was. If you'd asked me if this was the flood that sank one of the Lake Washington floating bridges, I would have said yes it was.

Well, just a little Googling let me know I was wrong about the Thanksgiving Day Flood. That flood was in 1990 and was the one that sank the floating bridge.

The fact that I get confused about Western Washington's floods and the fact that some of them have names, should be a good indication of how bad the flooding in that rainy zone can be.

I remember watching the floating bridge sink, on TV, at my sister's cabin at Lake Cushman. That fact confuses me for a variety of reasons. One of which is I also remember being at Seattle's Gasworks Park watching my aunt finish a marathon in the rainstorm that sank the floating bridge. But, I'm further confused, because I remember being up in Lynden, at the Dutch Mother's Restaurant, because my grandma wanted to have all her kids and grandkids together for a turkey dinner for the first time in decades. I remember that night as the night the rain started that became the flood known as the Thanksgiving Flood. Apparently I was all over Western Washington during that flooding period, all the way to the Canadian border, to Seattle, to Hood Canal.

That or my memory is really mixed up.

Below is a YouTube video of part of the KING 5 report about the sinking. There is footage of the actual sinking, which happened live on TV, if I'm remembering right, which I've fairly clearly established may not be the case...

The Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex Is Flooding Including The Trinity River Vision Boondoggle's Cowtown Wakepark

In the picture you are looking at an overhead view of the flooding that was blocking my way to my pool zone this morning.

Over 4 inches of rain has fallen on the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex during the current storm, which seems to have finally ceased, with the constant rain, in the last couple minutes.

I did not know that we are currently in flood mode til I read it on one of this area's few reliable news sources, that being the Star Telegraph.

Please note, this was not a typo, I meant to type Star-Telegraph, not Star-Telegram.

In a blogging posted in the Star-Telegraph, only minutes ago, titled "Fort Worth Flooding" I learned that not only are the usual suspects, like Haltom City, under water, but an object I suspected would be under water the first time we had a flood, is also under water.

Yes. The world's premiere urban wakeboard park, Cowtown Wakepark, the first project completed by the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle bogus flood control project, is under water.

I wonder how much damage the flood will do to the Cowtown Wakepark's cheap looking construction? And how much it will cost to fix the flood damage? Or has someone already figured out that Cowtown Wakepark is the first failure, of likely many, of the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle?

If it was not a lot of bother I'd drive west to check out the flooded Cowtown Wakepark and take some pictures.

I'd Go To Haltom City To See The Sara Lee State Fair Corn Dog Water Tower

The Haltom City Sara Lee Corn Dog Water Tower

This morning, or was it yester morning, I learned of an important contest in Haltom City to design a new look for the town water tower.

Currently the Haltom City Water Tower has the name of the town on it and what appears to be Snoopy the Dog smoking.

Some have suggested that water flowing should be painted on the tower, since Haltom City is well known for its floods.

Others have suggested the naming rights be sold, with many suggesting selling the naming rights to Haltom City's biggest employer and polluter, Sara Lee, which makes world famous State Park Corn Dogs in Haltom City.

Additional others have suggested selling naming rights to Chesapeake Energy, because Chesapeake Energy already owns so much in Haltom City. The Chesapeake Energy logo could go on the tower, with a catchy phrase, something like "Your Water Is Our Water."

The Haltom City Water Tower In Its Current Condition

Those who decide what is best for Haltom City could not decide on how to solve the water tower problem, hence the contest.

On the right you see how the Haltom City Water Tower currently looks. This is not the view with Snoopy smoking.

I think it'd be real cool if the top part were made to look like a flying saucer, with the ribbed support tower underneath the flying saucer painted to look like exhaust from the flying saucer.

I bet people would come from as far away as Richland Hills and Watauga just to see the Haltom City Flying Saucer Water Tower.

The Can Of Worms Of Tarrant County Scandals & The System That Keeps Them Canned

This zone of Texas where I currently reside, Tarrant County, seems to have scandals here and there and everywhere.

But few seem to care.

Part of the problem, scandal discovery wise, is that Tarrant County does not have a real newspaper of record.

Tarrant County does have FW Weekly, which is a legitimate newspaper.

But, Tarrant County's big paper is the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, a newspaper with all sorts of problems.

FW Weekly is a small, free, weekly. You can hardly expect FW Weekly to manage to cover every scandal that scandalizes this part of the country.

And so the scandalizers are free to do their scandalizing, feeling fairly secure that no bright light will be pointed at them.

In the current issue of FW Weekly the cover story, "A High-Priced Can of Worms" is a good look at the scandals that are rocking Haltom City.

For those reading this who are not locals, Haltom City is a suburb of Fort Worth. Haltom City has creeks running through it. Those creeks flood. Those creeks have been flooding for decades, at times deadly. But very little has been done to mitigate the flooding. While almost a $1 billion is being spent in Fort Worth on an un-needed flood control project known as the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle.

The Haltom City chronic flooding is not the Haltom City Scandal covered in this week's FW Weekly.

You can watch a movie documentary called Up A Creek, on this very blog you are reading right now and learn all about the flooding problems in Haltom City. Or go to Rahr Brewery tonight to watch the movie and drink some beer.

Regarding the Tarrant County Scandals. I know of the Haltom City Scandals courtesy of FW Weekly and someone who tells me about them in person.

Other Tarrant County Scandals I know of only because someone has contacted me because they desperately want people to know about something.

For example, Arlington's Kim Feil has been trying to find out what really happened at a Chesapeake Energy gas pad in Arlington, during a storm on April 11, 2011.

It was serious. 911 was called. Fumes entered homes. But no local news media, as far as I know, has looked into this incident. That, in and of itself, is sort of scandalous.

But, you have to realize, this area is currently under the thumb, sort of, of Chesapeake Energy. Read the FW Weekly article, linked to above, about the Haltom City Scandals, for an example of that.

It seems sort of sad to me that local citizens reach out to my lonely blog because of feeling desperate for help or answers or both.

Another scandal that I have witnessed up close is the Paradise Center Scandal. The Paradise Center Scandal has gone un-reported, for the most part, in the local media. FW Weekly did mention the scandal on their blog. And one of the local TV stations had a small, very small, piece on it.

The thing with the Paradise Center Scandal is that you have to devote some time to be able to understand it. When a cry for help went out on February 17, I did not know what the problem was.

It took me about a week before I figured out that this was serious business, what was done to the Paradise Center by MHMR-TC.

I had no clue if it would do any good or not, but, I was getting so many comments about the Paradise Center Scandal to my Durango Texas blog that I decided to make a Paradise Center Scandal blog.

Well.

I tell you, it has been like Watergate. Revelation after revelation. Lies, obfuscations, character assassinating. As the weeks went by it became apparent that the Paradise Center Scandal was just a symptom of a bigger overall scandal involving the Mental Health Mental Retardation Tarrant County Agency and its controversial CEO, Jim McDermott.

If you read through the Paradise Center Scandal blog and read the comments, it becomes real clear that this is a story that should be being reported to the people who live in this problem-laden, scandal-ridden zone, by the local Fourth Estate, which is pretty much, FW Weekly.

So, what other Tarrant County Scandals are out there that no one is being told about? Are there Fort Worth School Scandals beyond the ones that have made the news?

When a gas pad goes bonkers in Arlington, making people ill, and that is not considered newsworthy, well, that is scandalous.

J.D. Granger's Magic Trees Saving Arlington From The Trinity River While Not Worrying About Haltom City Getting Saved

Yesterday I made a video about J.D. Granger's Magic Trees.

I should have edited the video much shorter, leaving out the question that led to J.D. revealing the surprising news that he is busy planting 80,000 trees in Fort Worth's Gateway Park for the express purpose of protecting Arlington, which is downstream from Fort Worth, from flooding accelerated by J.D.'s Trinity River Vision Boondoggle.

I brightened the video and made J.D. louder so you can somewhat better understand his garbled Texas accent.

Yesterday I also made a short video of a clip sent to me of the "Up a Creek" documentary movie (now viewable online). The short clip made mention of the fact that Miss Layla Caraway observed 30 foot trees being torn out of the ground by the flooding Haltom City Creek that was trying to swallow her home.

Can none of the 80,000 Trinity River Vision Magic Anti-Flood Trees be given to long-suffering Haltom City?

People have died in Haltom City floods, including one little girl. Haltom City is only a few miles north of Gateway Park. Haltom City is a border town of Fort Worth.

Can't Fort Worth look into its troubled soul long enough to spare some Magic Trees to stop the out of control Haltom City creeks?

I know that taking down the badly outdated Trinity River levees, which have stopped flooding for over 50 years, is very important. And that replacing them with a giant flood control ditch, at great cost, is a very forward thinking thing to think.

And spending a lot of money to build a little pond that will serve as a swimming lake and a drinking water source, in addition to water storage, according to J.D. Granger, is a really smart thing to be investing in.

But can't a few dollars be spared to give Haltom City, and the other Mid-Cities some of the Magic Anti-Flood Trees that J.D. Granger and the Trinity River Vision have developed in their nationally acclaimed, internationally recognized, visionary vision?

Below you can more clearly hear J.D. talk about his Magic Trees....

Watch "Up A Creek" The Movie Documentary About Tarrant County Water Issues

The "Up a Creek" movie documentary has now been YouTubed.

In "Up a Creek" you will meet a young Texas lady named Layla Caraway.

Miss Layla is a lifelong Haltom City native who was peacefully living her life, minding her own business, when something happened to her that turned her in to a political activist.

"Up a Creek" documents Miss Layla's activist journey and the serious issues regarding Tarrant County flooding that are currently not being addressed. Which, of course, leads to the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle being part of what is discussed in this movie.

"Up a Creek" is presented below, in 4 parts, for your viewing and educational pleasure....

Haltom City Does Not Have Any Of The Magic Gateway Park Trinity River Vision Anti-Flood Trees

A few minutes ago I blogged about J.D. Granger's interesting assertion that he is planting 80,000 trees in Fort Worth's Gateway Park in order to slow down a Trinity River flood before it can do damage to Arlington.

A few minutes after that Anonymous Bob sent me a video excerpt from the "Up a Creek" movie documentary about the current bad water management of Tarrant County.

In that video Miss Layla Caraway mentions that during the flood in Haltom City, that almost obliterated her home, she saw 30 foot trees ripped out of the ground to go floating by her stricken abode.

While in Fort Worth, special flood resisting trees are being planted in Gateway Park that will not be ripped out of the ground during a flood, but will instead put up a massive 80,000 stick strong resistance to the forces of the Trinity River, slowing down that river when it is in raging mode, before it can do any damage in Arlington, due to Fort Worth's misguided Trinity River Vision Boondoggle.

The YouTube video below is a tiny part of the "Up the Creek" movie. I believe the entire movie documentary will be available for viewing soon...

I Was Not Up A Creek Without A Paddle Tonight At The Stagecoach Ballroom In Fort Worth

I made it safely back from the world premiere of "Up a Creek" at the Stagecoach Ballroom.

I really did not know what to expect to see in tonight's movie premiere.

I knew, sort of, what the subject matter was, that being promoting an adult version of improving the Trinity River and its tributaries and actually doing something about the flooding problem, other than building the world's best artificial wakeboard lake.

And stopping the bizarre Trinity River Vision Boondoggle.

The movie starred a young lady from Haltom City named Layla Caraway. It tells the story of how it came to be that Ms. Caraway is so passionately fighting the bizarre political power structure that runs roughshod over Fort Worth and Tarrant County.

Or as one of the talking heads in the movie said, "Fort Worth, the eminent domain abuse capital of Texas."

No. I was not that talking head.

I must say, Don Woodard is a Fort Worth treasure. His letters to the editor of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram are great. But that man and his one-liners are even better. Clyde Picht is another Fort Worth Treasure.

There are a lot of Fort Worth treasures.

Unfortunately the current system of conducting business, in what is known as the Fort Worth Way, sort of stops Fort Worth's treasures from turning Fort Worth into the treasure it could be, rather than the poorly run company town it is.

Tonight, before the movie, while I hid in the dark, observing the crowd, a young lady approached me and asked if I was Durango. This type thing always makes me nervous, shy guy that I be. I said my name is not Durango. The young lady insisted that it was. And so I agreed. And then I learned it was she who emailed me today about something about Montana. It is from that email I know this was Georgia S. I met tonight.

I also met "Tarrant Liberty Guy" who had commented on my blogging earlier today about tonight's movie premiere, saying "Hope to see you and Ms. Hotpepper tonight!"

Well, Tarrant Liberty Guy saw me, but I don't know, for sure, if he saw Ms. Hotpepper.

"Up a Creek" will soon be available for viewing online. I'll  direct you to that when it is ready to be viewed.

In the meantime, I've got myself a problem with a video of J.D. Granger, who was not at tonight's TRIP meeting movie premiere.

Ironic, because it is J.D. who is sort of up a creek. With no clue he is missing a paddle or two.

Looking At The Stormy Afternoon Of The First Day Of September In Texas

We are looking at the somewhat stormy view from Miss Puerto Rico's balcony around 5 in the afternoon of the first day of September.

It is being a bit breezy. At Miss PR's the wind was howling like a sound effect in a movie blizzard.

I was over at Miss PR's because she told me her computer was acting up. I thought it might be suffering the same malady as what has been maladizing mine the past day or two.

Speaking of which, my computer is behaving so much better. I had acquired, despite always practicing safe computing, several nasty infections of varying degrees of direness.

Speaking of direness, I just heard a loud thunder boom. I think we may be in for some storming in my zone of East Fort Worth. I'm prepared, the hatches are battened. The wind has let up, while wet droplets are now falling.

Texas Thunderstorms are one of my favorite things about Texas, as compared to relatively Thunderstorm-free Washington. That and extreme downpours. My zone of Texas gets about the same amount of rain, per year, as Seattle. With the delivery method being totally different. Seattle delivers its annual inches over long long periods, day after day, month after month. While my zone of Texas delivers its annual inches in a few short storms delivering, often, several inches per dose.

I remember one fall in Washington, 5 inches fell in a couple hours. That very very rarely happens up there. The result was the worst flooding I've ever seen. And the sinking of one of Washington's floating bridges, among other dire calamities, like failing dikes and massive mudslides.

In Texas you don't have the flooding problem Western Washington has, because no Pineapple Express can deliver warm rain to the mountain snowpack, causing a rapid melt, because there are no mountains with snow to melt in Texas.

In Texas a lot of the severe flooding is not really Mother Nature's fault. It's Mother Nature's children's fault, pouring too much concrete without proper drainage, resulting in deadly flash floods that need not ever have happened.

Speaking of which, I imagine the Flood Queen of Haltom City will be keeping a watchful eye on her killer creek if this wetness onslaught accelerates.

I don't have a creek to worry about. But I do need to go get my swimming suit from its drying location before the wind blows rain on it. I need it dry for my morning swim.

Adrian Murray & John Basham for Tarrant Regional Water Board

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Editorial Board did some Tarrant Regional Water District Board Member Election Recommendationing yesterday.

Adrian Murray and John Basham are running, together, for positions on the Water Board.

Regarding Murray and Basham, the Star-Telegram says they are, "competent individuals who are eager to give back to their community. They have credible ideas and questions that deserve to be asked and answered. They should remain engaged with the water district regardless of the outcome of this election."

And then the Star-Telegram goes on to endorse incumbents, Jim Lane and Marty Leonard, because of their long and rich history of public service, who have demonstrated skills, commitment and vision needed to be excellent board members on this most important public body.

Well.

The Tarrant Regional Water District is responsible for providing water and flood control affecting around 1.7 million people in Fort Worth, Mansfield, Arlington and a large swath of Tarrant County.

The Water District was set up decades ago, well before this area morphed into a giant Metroplex. Consequently, only voters is 6 towns get to vote to elect the board. Those towns are Fort Worth, Azle, Edgecliff Village, Westworth Village, Westover Hills and most of River Oaks.

Please note that Mansfield and Arlington are not on the list of those who get to vote. Does it not seem like, well, common sense, that all areas affected by the Water Board be included in who gets to vote? Should not this antique setup be updated to this century?

Haltom City also does not get to vote. Haltom City has a deadly flooding problem. That flooding problem, caused by allowing development, without requiring flood control mitigators, does not seem to concern the Tarrant Regional Water District Board in any meaningful way.

The current Tarrant Regional Water District Board is onboard with the Trinity River Vision, that being Fort Worth's Billion Dollar Boondoggle that added an unneeded flood diversion channnel in order to, hopefully, snag some federal dollars.

All the yammering about the supposed good the current Water Board has done, things like a park on Eagle Mountain Lake, recreational trails, an Eagle Mountain pipeline, pales when compared to the good the Water Board has not done.

As in, making fixing the Deadly Flash Flood Problem priority #1.

The area where the Trinity River Vision's flood diversion channel would be doing its diverting has not flooded for over 50 years, thanks to flood prevention levees built by the same Army Corps of Engineers.

It is all perplexing to me.

The Durango Texas Editorial Board strongly recommends Adrian Murray and John Basham for the Tarrant Regional Water Board.

Fort Worth's #1 Boondoggle & Haltom City's #1 Bully

Monday morning of this week in Texas is starting off nice, pleasant temperatures, blue sky, no fist fights with my bedroom wall in the middle of the night.

Really, can't get much better than that.

And the Fort Worth Star-Telegram had 2 good letters in its Letters to the Editor section this morning. I makes for an additional oomph to the start of a good week when Monday has 2 good letters to read.

In the first, Clyde Picht, well known Fort Worth activist with an active conscience and common sense about everyone's favorite Fort Worth Boondoggle. In the second letter, Ray Ecklund takes Chesapeake Energy to task for its overbearing behavior in Haltom City. Haltom City, also known as The Flood Capital of Texas.

First Clyde, followed by Ray.........

Hometown boondoggle

LOL (laugh out loud) as those who text would text. Mitchell Schnurman ( Star-Telegram, March 20) took a swipe at Keller for its financial unraveling due to an expensive public-private economic development and a TIF (tax increment financing) district that is falling short.

A few choice quotes from Schnurman's column: The "taxpayers never expected to be on the hook for anything," "... more public-private partnerships fail to live up to their billing ...," "brick-lined streets, bike and walking trails, a small lake and a sprinkling of public art" and "... TIFs across Texas that have not performed as they expected to."

Hello Mitch! Walk up the street a few blocks and view the landscape that some would like to turn into Trinity Uptown. Everything wrong in Keller will be wrong in spades with Trinity Uptown. Some of those deficiencies are already apparent. Like how a $320 million project now will cost almost $1 billion.

Having seen Congress in action lately, we aren't likely to get enough money for a brick sidewalk unless it's renamed Trinity ACORN.

So come home, Mitchell, and let Keller stew in its own juice. Write about our homegrown boondoggle that has gone from bad to worse and is going to get a lot worse yet.

-- Clyde Picht, Fort Worth

Shame on Chesapeake

Tuesday, we were given a political rally by a multibillion-dollar corporation trying to run over our hometown. Chesapeake spared no expense. They would have us believe that Haltom City's elected leaders were slowing their company's grand scheme to make us all rich. We should storm City Hall on Chesapeake's behalf.

"If they don't vote right, vote them out," Chesapeake Vice President Julie Wilson said. Chesapeake should be able to do as they please.

They presented themselves as benevolent big brothers just trying to help individuals. What an insult. They acted like we were poor, uneducated and uncaring about our city. They expect Haltom City residents will take a few small potential dollars to overthrow our government. They want us to think that our elected leaders -- our neighbors whom we chose to lead us -- suddenly do not have our best interest at heart.

I don't like bullies. This is my hometown. Don't forget it!

-- Ray Ecklund, Haltom City

Kay Granger's Weather Radio Solution To Texas Flash Flood Deaths

You can become a Facebook Fan of Fort Worth's Loopy Congresswoman, Kay Granger. If you become a Fan you can read Congresswoman Granger's Loopy Notes.

Yesterday I blogged about Kay Granger and how she is very concerned with fixing a flooding problem that does not exist, while not concerning herself with a flooding problem that does exist.

Well, my #1 researcher, Elsie Hotpepper, discovered in Kay Granger's Facebook Notes a note where Ms. Granger verbalized her deep concern regarding the Haltom City flooding problem that I said she does not concern herself with. Granger even mentioned the devastating death of Alexandria Collins caused by a Haltom City Fossil Creek flash flood.

That Haltom City flash flood happened without warning. There had been little rain in Haltom City. But, north of Haltom City, in the town of Keller area, 5 inches of the wet stuff had fallen in a very short time, overwhelming the inadequate drainage system and sending a wall of water death towards Haltom City.

So, what does Fort Worth's loopy Congresswoman propose as a fix? Mandating that weather radios be installed in new trailers. I'm not making this up, you can read all about this loopy woman's loopy nonsensical nonsense, including saying, "About 100 mobile homes were impacted by the storms because there was not enough time for residents to know what was happening and to prepare for the coming disaster."

Oh, yes, of course, those weather radios would have told those people in their Haltom City trailers that it was raining hard in Keller and this is sending a disaster your way, so, get yourself to higher ground.

You can read all of Congresswoman Kay Granger's loopy Facebook Note below...

In 2007 flooding led to the deaths of 11 people in Haltom City. Yesterday, the House passed my legislation that will ensure tragedies like this will be prevented in the future. Please read my statement I submitted for the record:

Madam Speaker, as the House considers H.R. 320, “CJ’s Home Protection Act,” I encourage my colleagues to support its passage. As a cosponsor of this bill, I believe it is important to reflect back on why this legislation is crucial to saving lives in our communities.

In June 2007, devastating storms, tornadoes and flooding hit my district over a few days’ time and left large amounts of property damaged and displaced thousands of families. Tragically, the flooding also took the lives 11 individuals and injured others.

At Skyline Mobile Home Estates in Haltom City, I met with Haltom City Mayor Bill Lanford after the floods to see the damage and to also meet with local residents. About 100 mobile homes were impacted by the storms because there was not enough time for residents to know what was happening and to prepare for the coming disaster.

One of the most devastating impacts to this community was the death of 4-year-old Alexandria Collins. She was torn from her mother’s grasp by the water’s current as they fled to a neighbor’s boat.

CJ’s Home Protection bill requires that NOAA weather radios be installed in new mobile homes as they are being manufactured in order for residents to receive emergency broadcasting information and alerts. This bill will help save lives during emergency situations by providing people with the time and the information they need to take care of themselves and their families.

Thank you, and I urge the House to pass this legislation.