New Look At Fort Worth's Multi-Decade Trinity River Vision Boondoggle

It has been a while since I have read an article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about America's Dumbest Boondoggle, also known as the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision, or TRV for super short.

A couple days ago I found myself writing a blog post titled New Zealand Family's Seattle Visit Reminds Me Of Fort Worth's Infamous Trinity River Vision Boondoggle, written after seeing the result of a successful public works project completed in a more modern area of America, then finding myself comparing that project to what many simply refer to as The Boondoggle.

And then, ironically, the very day I posted the blog post referencing Fort Worth's embarrassing Trinity River Vision mess, the Star-Telegram publishes an article about the current state of The Boondoggle, in typical Star-Telegram faulty information fashion.

I suspect the reporter writing this article is new to Fort Worth, and the Star-Telegram, and thus does not have a well-developed ear for hearing nonsense.

We are now in the third decade of what has become America's Oldest Boondoggle. Over the years I have written dozens of posts about this subject. Just go to the Durango Texas blog and enter "TNT exploding ceremony" into the search function, or "Kay Granger Boondoggle" and you will come up with many of those posts about this subject.

Now, something I have not made mention of during the many years of writing these blog posts about America's Biggest Boondoggle.

Over the years I have been sent information from persons close to the problem. As in, someone with access inside J.D. Granger's inner Trinity River Vision operation. I referred to this person as Deep Moat. I was told a couple times, by a couple sources, that the TRWD and the TRV were annoyed, a time or two, by things they saw on my blog.

Also, regarding the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, someone working for that newspaper, anonymous to me, has long found my making fun of that newspaper to be amusing. And accurate. It has not happened for a couple years, but yesterday it did. That person, who they are, I do not know, sent me the link to this new article about The Boondoggle, a link I am not blocked from reading. I assume I would always have been able to read the Star-Telegram, if I was a subscriber, but I cancelled the hard copy long ago.

Anyway, I clicked the Fort Worth’s Panther Island riverfront project has seen years of delays. What’s next? and read it. And copied it.

I then messaged Elsie Hotpepper, asking if Elsie had read this latest, because her dear departed friend, Clyde Picht, is quoted. Elsie then asked for the link. I sent it. But, for her, she was blocked. I then sent Elsie the copied article.

Interesting that the Star-Telegram successfully blocks Elsie Hotpepper, but not me.

Anyway, let's now go through some of this article and comment as we read along. Let's begin with the first paragraph...

Government officials and curious citizens left no seats empty in Fort Worth’s city hall chamber on April 5, 2005. That day, then-Mayor Mike Moncrief locked horns with skeptical City Council members over the purpose and price of the “Trinity River Vision,” a grand plan to revamp the river’s flood control system and transform a sliver of the waterway twisting around downtown into a haven of urban leisure and recreation.

2005. Two decades ago. And that is years after The Boondoggle actually began. Flood control system? This project was originally touted as a vitally needed flood control and economic development scheme. So vitally needed, almost three decades later, little has been done. So vitally needed, the public was not asked to support it via a bond issue.

Moving on, the next paragraph...

Fort Worth’s powerful optimists first fleshed out plans for the venture the year before. Moncrief and fellow proponents hailed the undertaking, later rechristened Panther Island, as “the most significant local project since construction of Dallas/Fort Worth airport.” “Everyone feels the synergy of this project,” Moncrief told the audience in city hall, among them Panther Island champion U.S. Rep. Kay Granger. “They realize this will create a new gateway ... a new face for future generations.” Doubters weren’t sold on the mayor’s lofty aspirations. “I think the final cost of the project will be substantially higher” than the original $360 million price tag (around $613 million today), said council member Clyde Picht during the hearing.

The "later rechristened Panther Island" remark is what made me think this reporter is new to The Boondoggle. This pseudo public works project started out being called the Trinity River Vision. Then Uptown was added to the name. Then Central City. Then Panther Island District. I do not believe the project has ever been somehow rechristened as Panther Island. Such is just how some have come to refer to it, even though it is an imaginary island which no sane part of the world would refer to as such.

Moving on to the next paragraph...

The project’s budget ballooned to $1.17 billion around 2017 (a figure still listed in project documents today despite inflationary pressures). The most hopeful Panther Island advocates in the early 2000s expected a pocket of high-rises and tree-lined promenades to take form by the end of the decade. No development has happened since. The Tarrant Regional Water District has yet to acquire 23% of the land within Panther Island’s future boundaries; the body agreed in December to pay a real estate consulting firm $1 million to start thinking up a strategy for selling off land to interested developers.

Just the info contained in the above paragraph, one would think, is enough to make one think maybe it is time to just kill this embarrassing failure. The "no development has happened since" line is so telling. Basically, little real development has happened for almost three decades, not in the way developments happen in parts of the world known to be more, well, developed.

It gets worse. Next paragraph...

Much of the new flood control system has yet to be completed. TRWD and the other bodies tasked with bringing Panther Island’s renditions to life predicted in 2018 that every dam, channel and storage pond would be complete by 2028. The project’s latest completion date, as of June, is 2032.

Much of the flood control system is yet to be completed? Remember? This was originally touted as a vitally needed flood control project, to control floods in a section of the Trinity River which had not flooded for well over a half century due to levees installed in the 1950s. And now the completion date is in the next decade.

The final paragraph...

Past delays foreshadowed current ones. It took the Texas Department of Transportation roughly six years and $126.2 million to complete three bridges designed to funnel traffic to and from the island. Construction for the structures, totaling less than a mile in length, began in November 2015, with tentative completion dates set between 2017 and 2018. “This was a bad deal early on,” Picht said of Panther Island in 2018, a few years before he died. “It’s probably the worst managed public project in the state of Texas, if not the nation.” Where exactly do things stand today?

Why is the Star-Telegram blaming the Texas Department of Transportation for taking so long to build the simple little bridges? Did not the actual fault lie with the incompetent leadership of the TRV? As in, Kay Granger's son, J.D., made Executive Director, to motivate his mother to try and secure federal funds? J.D. Granger insisted the design of the bridges have these totally ordinary V-piers, which J.D. thought would make them Signature Bridges, which was part of the original Trinity River Vision, having Three Signature Bridges, matching the Dallas Trinity River Vision's proposed Three Signature Bridges, which was the actual start of The Boondoggle, Fort Worth once again trying to keep up with Dallas.

And failing.

Dallas did end up building two actual signature bridges, which add a cool looking element to the Dallas skyline.

As for The Boondoggle's employment of Kay Granger's son. Kay never did come up with federal funding. And when a Biden bill, the Infrastructure Bill, passed, sending funding to Fort Worth's un-funded project, Kay voted no. J.D. was then fired, given a $72,000 parting gift, and is now trying to open a restaurant.

Meanwhile, I have another nugget of news, sent to me anonymously, which I have no way of verifying, but which makes sense to me.

I have been told the real reason the Trinity River Vision project has stalled is due to serious engineering complications. When the Army Corps of Engineers was brought in, again, after those three little bridges were built over dry land, with a cement lined ditch to later be dug under them, an obvious issue became apparent.

As in, the cement lined ditch should have been built at the same time as the bridges. To dig under the bridges now presents serious engineering issues, as in without sufficient mitigations, digging under the bridges could cause a bridge collapse.

And so, the project is stalled, with the current funding now in limbo due to the project's ineptness, poor planning and bad design.

And, might I add. I have long predicted that eventually we will get to the point where it is realized the ground in the Panther Island zone is seriously contaminated, due to being a former industrial zone. There have already been some indications of this. I suspect it would take an EPA Superfund cleanup, which will likely never happen.

It is time for Fort Worth to kill this project, clean up the mess it has made, and get around to finally, at least, fixing Heritage Park, the boarded-up eyesore at the north end of downtown, a park celebrating Fort Worth's heritage, which, ironically, overlooks America's Biggest Boondoggle....

A Look At Washington's San Juan Islands Takes Us To Fort Worth's Imaginary Island

I saw this view you see here, yesterday, on Facebook. A view looking east across some of the San Juan Islands, with the Mount Baker volcano towering over the scene. I grew up in the land between that volcano and the San Juan Islands.

I think it was the fact of growing up totally aware of what an island is, and looks like, that had me appalled near the beginning of this century, when the town I was then living in, at the time, Fort Worth, Texas, began a bizarre pseudo public works project hoping to divert water from the Trinity River, around a section of land, on the north end of downtown Fort Worth.

Creating an imaginary island.

Which already came to become called Panther Island. Even though that proposed water diversion has not yet happened, with a cement lined ditch, filled with Trinity River water, creating the imaginary island, with three bridges then connecting the Fort Worth mainland to that imaginary island.

So far, those three freeway overpass type bridges are the main thing that has been completed in what became known as the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision.

Or America's Biggest Boondoggle.

Near one of those bridges the Vision did see a roundabout built, with a million-dollar reflective homage to an aluminum trash can installed at the center of the roundabout.

Is the Fort Worth Star-Telegram still investigating trying to find out how it came to be that a million bucks was paid to buy that work of art?

For years, the entity known in short form as the Trinity River Vision employed J.D. Granger as the Vision's Executive Director. Granger is the son of Fort Worth Congresswoman, Kay Granger. It was thought giving Kay's son a high paying job overseeing the Vision that it would motivate Kay to support federal funding of Fort Worth's Boondoggle.

However, Kay never managed to help secure that funding. And then meandering moved Kay's congressional district out of the area of Fort Worth's Boondoggle. And so, J.D. Granger lost his Executive Director job after accomplishing little for so long.

Ironically, as part of the Biden Administration's massive Infrastructure bill, federal funding was secured, sort of, for Fort Worth's infamous Boondoggle. Adding to the irony, Kay Granger voted against the Infrastructure bill, what with her son no longer being gainfully employed executively directing the Boondoggle.

As the decades of Fort Worth's Trinity River Vision have limped along, I have often wondered if the Fort Worth locals just do not understand what an island is. 

The Wikipedia article about Washington's San Juan Islands gives one a good idea of what actual islands are. Some blurbs from that article...

The San Juan Islands are an archipelago in the U.S. state of Washington known for rural Pacific Northwest landscapes and wildlife. Horseshoe-shaped Orcas Island, one of the main isles, is home to Moran State Park's old-growth forest and Mt. Constitution. San Juan Island is distinguished by the lively seaside town of Friday Harbor and Lime Kiln Point State Park, an orca-whale lookout.

At mean high tide, the San Juan Islands comprise over 400 islands and rocks, 128 of which are named, and over 478 miles (769 km) of shoreline.

In the archipelago, four islands are accessible to vehicular and foot traffic via the Washington State Ferries system.

An archipelago with over 400 islands, 128 islands with names. Not one named Panther Island. One is named Orcas, though, named after Puget Sound's beloved killer whales. Four islands accessible by ferry boat. 

One will not need a ferry boat to get to Fort Worth's imaginary island. All you'll need, if the "island" ever happens, is a car, to drive over one of the three little bridges which cross over the cement-lined ditch...

J.D. Granger's New Contact With The Panther Island Boondoggle

It seems like just a day or two ago we learned that the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision was finally rid of J.D. Granger, after years of befuddling Fort Worth locals as to what it was that J.D. Granger did for the Boondoggle Vision that warranted paying him well over $200,000 a year.

The announcement that J.D. Granger was no longer employed by the TRWD (Tarrant Regional Water District) told us J.D. Granger was going to be starting a new consulting business.

And today we learn that J.D. Granger has secured his first consulting job.

A contract with the TRWD!

The shenanigans never cease.

Let's take a look at this morning's Fort Worth Star-Telegram Former Panther Island project head inks $72,000 contract with Tarrant water district article to see if there is any sort of sane explanation for awarding J.D. Granger this contract.

The first two paragraphs in this article...

JD Granger is not done with the Tarrant Regional Water District. 

The former head of the Panther Island, who announced he was stepping down from that post last Friday, is rejoining the district that is coordinating the flood-control aspects of the project as a consultant. The six-month contract is worth $72,000.

__________________________

Granger is not done with the Tarrant Regional Water District? I thought it was the TRWD that came to its senses and was done with Granger, due to the fact that his function of motivating his mother to secure federal funding was no longer viable. He was the former head of Panther Island? Was this a formal position with a job title? Being the head of an imaginary island? J.D. is going to be a consultant on the flood-control aspects? Flood control where there has been no flooding for well over half a century due to flood-control mechanisms already existing.

The next paragraph is a doozy....

“He brings a knowledge of all the project elements, all the project history, and how we can use this information to get the project completed,” said the district’s general manager, Dan Buhman.

____________________

He brings knowledge of all the project elements? Really? What are those elements about which J.D. Granger is so knowledgeable? And this vast knowledge will get the project completed? This is a 6 month contract. Does this mean the project will be completed in six months? After Boondoggling along for most of this century?

And then there are the next two paragraphs...

The district will pay Granger $12,000 per month, which is roughly $8,000 less than his salary when he was employed by the district. Granger did not immediately return a call from the Star-Telegram seeking comment.

He will advise the water district on so-called “betterments,” which Buhman explained are design features or flood control elements beyond what the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is willing to pay for. Under the Panther Island plan, the Corps will dig a 1.5-mile channel along Trinity River near downtown, creating two islands that will be open for redevelopment with multifamily housing, restaurants and entertainment. 

____________________

Oh, so this is saving the Water District, and the taxpayers, money, getting the benefit of J.D. Granger's vast knowledge for $8,000 less a month than was previously being paid for his vast knowledge of civil engineering projects.

He will advise the water district on so-called betterments? So, J.D. will be using his vast design knowledge to come up with design features the Army Corps of Engineers is not willing to pay for? I wonder if J.D.'s betterments will be of the quality level of some of his former betterments, such as the quickly failing Cowtown Wakepark, which Granger touted as bringing the coveted sport of wakeboarding to Fort Worth. And what ever became of that betterment announced a couple years ago, that being that river cruise betterment modeled after the river cruise on the Brazos River in Waco?

And then there is this doozy providing an example of what is meant by betterments...

“The example I always use is a ditch. If we could make it a better looking ditch, we would pay a little extra,” Buhman explained. 

_______________________

Yes, that does seem to be a illustrative example of a betterment. It makes sense to pay a little more for a better looking cement lined ditch, if the ditch is ever dug to go under those three simple little bridges which took seven years to build over dry land, to connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island, of which J.D. Granger was the former head.

And then we come to this paragraph...

Granger has the necessary institutional knowledge to advise the district on which of those improvements the Corps would be responsible for, and which would be paid for locally, Buhman said. The water district is a government entity funded by taxpayer dollars.

_____________________

Really, so without Granger's institutional knowledge advising the district there is just no other way to know what improvements the Corps would be responsible for? Why not just ask the Corps? Wouldn't that be cheaper than paying J.D. Granger for his imaginary vast knowledge?  Wasn't it Granger's vast design knowledge that came up with those V-piers for the three bridges? Piers which were not the type piers the Corps recommended. The design of which were one of the many incompetence's which caused it to take so long to build the little bridges over dry land.

In the following six paragraphs we learn there are some voices of reason and common sense regarding the ongoing J.D. Granger debacle...

Doreen Geiger, a member the Water District Accountability Project pushing for more transparency at the district, initially chaffed at the idea of keeping Granger on in any capacity. 

She pointed to the district’s $7,500-per-month contract with Mark Mazzanti, a 35-year veteran of the Army Corps of Engineers, and the district’s $833,151 contract with project scheduling company Innovative Management Solutions Inc., to argue there’s no need to keep Granger on.

Buhman said that Mazzanti’s role is to advise on Corps bureaucracy, and Innovative Management Solutions helps with the technical scheduling of different elements of the project. 

Granger knows why certain project elements are the way they are and can help advise the district on how to move forward, Buhman said. 

Geiger acknowledged the financial benefits of contracting with Granger at a rate lower than what he was making while working for the water district.

 “If we don’t do that, he’ll be there for years. It’s cheaper to give him some money for a short term and then he’s gone,” Geiger said.

____________________

So, a member of the Water District Accountability Project, Doreen Geiger, thought Granger should be no longer involved in any capacity, and that a large sum of money was already being paid to entities with knowledge of the project.

And then the Water Board's Buhman claims that Granger knows why certain elements of the Boondoggle are the way they are, and thus can advise the district on how to move forward.

With the Water District Accountability Project person acknowledging that they are getting Granger's vast knowledge at a cheaper rate, and then the WDAP person continues to turn that lemon into lemonade by suggesting it is cheaper to be rid of J.D. Granger by giving him money for six months, after which he will be gone, than it would have been had he stayed at his previous TRWD position, which would have kept paying him for years for doing whatever it is he has done all these years of being paid what seems to be an exorbitant sum to someone with zero qualifications, training, or experience at directing any sort of public works project.

And then we have another Fort Worth local expressing his concerns....

Lon Burnam, a former state representative and member of the same watchdog group as Geiger, raised concerns about Granger’s contract being negotiated outside of the public eye or public board meetings.

Granger’s contract does not need approval from the water district board. The board weighs in on contracts at or above $75,000, according to a source within the district.

 Burnam said he recognizes the value of Granger’s institutional knowledge but questioned the optics of having this contract negotiated behind closed doors.

 “This wheeling and dealing behind the scenes is what’s gone on for decades at the water district, which leads to no trust level for the district,” he said. 

_____________________

So, J.D. Granger was grifted this contract by making the amount being paid under the threshold which requires TRWD board approval? Yeah, that does not seem shady at all.

It would be real interesting to see detailed what Granger's institutional knowledge consists of. In the press, and other venues, over the years, Granger has come across as a bit of a buffoon.

Methinks we have not heard to last of this chapter of the ongoing J.D. Granger saga...

Back To Lucy Park After Sunday Storm With More J.D. Granger Nonsense

On Saturday I had a windy walk at Lucy Park in which I made mention of J.D. Granger's sudden Trinity River Vision departure.

Someone named Anonymous then submitted a blog comment about the Granger departure subject...

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Windy Lucy Park Walk With J.D. Granger's Sudden Trinity River Vision Departure":

“We are now known for having the only section of a river in a Texas downtown area that you can swim in and Texas’ only waterfront stage,”

So many facts needed checking in JD's announcement. I remember canoeing and swimming in the Colorado River in downtown Austin in the 1980s. Has that been closed?

______________________

I recollect mentioning to Elsie Hotpepper that the Fort Worth Star-Telegram article about the Granger departure read like ridiculous blatant propaganda.

Granger weirdly, inaccurately bragging that he somehow un-polluted the Trinity River, turning it into the only downtown river in Texas where you can swim in a river, is embarrassingly delusional

Fort Worth is now known for having the only section of a river in a Texas downtown that you can swim in?

How about, more accurately, Fort Worth is the only Texas town to have city officials so dumb they think it a good idea to pretend a polluted river with frequently dangerously high e.coli contamination, is safe to get wet in.

And the only waterfront stage in Texas.

Yeah, that is one amazing stage on that equally amazing waterfront.

In addition to being able to swim in the Colorado River as it flows through Austin, is it not possible to also swim in the Brazos River as it flows through Waco?

The Brazos River as it flows through Waco is actually beautifully scenic, particularly the section that flows past the white cliffs of Cameron Park.

Anyway, it was back to Lucy Park this final Monday of the 2022 version of April. You might have guessed that to be the case due to that picture at the top of today's view of the Lucy Park Suspension Bridge.

I drove to Lucy Park this morning not knowing if the park might be closed due to the Wichita River going into flood mode due to Sunday's heavy rain. But, the river did not seem much higher today than it was on Saturday.

That storm Sunday was the strongest I've experienced in quite a while. Thunder booming went on for hours. As did rain. There were a few instances of light flickering after the sun left for the day, but the power did not stay off long enough during any of its flickers to cause anything digital to need to be reset.

Windy Lucy Park Walk With J.D. Granger's Sudden Trinity River Vision Departure

This next to last Saturday of the 2022 version of April is a blustery one in North Texas, a windy state not rendered obvious by the serene, peaceful Lucy Park Wichita River view you see above.

Gusts of wind had me holding onto my hat multiple times this morning as I hiked the Lucy Park backwoods. 

Even though there were gusts approaching a slow hurricane level of blowing, there were dozens of disc golfers throwing their discs. 

I have never disc golfed, but it seems to me doing so with extreme wind blowing would not be much fun.

Two news stories caught my eye this morning. The first was from Favorite Nephew Jason, sending me a news article purporting to tell the tale of his Aunt Clancy falling into an outhouse pit whilst attempting to retrieve her phone. Rescue specialists had to somehow lift Clancy out of that which she fell in to. And immediately hosed her down prior to more extensive sanitation measures.

The other news story first came to me via text message, then I saw it on the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, then a text message from Elsie Hotpepper pointing to an article about the subject in Fort Worth Report.

The news?

J.D. Granger is no longer working for the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision.  Granger had been removed from his position as Executive Director of the Trinity River Vision Authority a couple years ago, but continued to be paid well over $200K a year, even though he no longer had a designated position.

The story being told is that Granger resigned and is starting up a new business, named after himself. Granger claims he feels he can leave the Trinity River Vision now because his work there is done, after decades of boondoggling, the claim is the project is now on track to be a vision someone might one day see.

Many have asked many times what it is, exactly, that J.D. Granger has done during all these years of boondoggling. 

That question was first asked a long long time ago when a Trinity River Vision insider got fed up with what they were seeing at TRVA headquarters. Money spent on all sorts of perks. Perks from I-phones to I-pads, to junkets, to cars, to spending an inordinate amount of time, each day, discussing where to go to lunch today on the public's dime. 

The person who was telling us about things they just thought were not appropriate referred to him or herself as Deep Moat.

I remember one item which appalled Deep Moat was the well stocked liquor supply at TRVA headquarters.

But what really set Deep Moat's nerves on edge was the extramarital office affair J.D. Granger was having with one of his subordinates, who he later married after divorcing the mother of his children.

Anyway, do you think we will ever know what exactly J.D. Granger did all these years whilst being so well paid to do what would seem to be basically nothing, what with so little to show for all the years of boondoggling?

Oh, yes, there are those three little bridges built over dry land, waiting for a cement lined ditch to be dug under them. And there were those Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats in the polluted Trinity River. And let's not forget J.D. Granger touting the Cowtown Wakepark, bringing the coveted sport of wakeboarding to Fort Worth, which soon became one of J.D. Granger's early failures, a failure fairly easy to predict for anyone with even a slight modicum of common sense.

Many are feeling a bit cynical about the reason for J.D. Granger's departure. Was he given the option of resigning to avoid the embarrassment of being fired? Had the TRWD board realized there was no longer any reason to keep employing J.D. Granger so as to motivate his mother to secure federal funding, which the woman totally failed at, including voting no on the federal infrastructure bill which finally saw Fort Worth get the money to build that ditch under those bridges.

Methinks there is more to this story. Perhaps we will be hearing from Deep Moat...

After Decades Work Is Supposedly To Begin On Fort Worth's Panther Island Boondoggle

What?

Is the Fort Worth Star-Telegram really trying to sell propaganda that work on Fort Worth's imaginary island is about to begin?

About to begin?

I recollect that that which has become America's Biggest Dumbest Boondoggle began, decades ago, around the start of the new century.

And now, after all this time, the Star-Telegram is saying work is about to begin and asking when it can be expected to be done?

The Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District recently got a chunk of the infrastructure bill which recently passed. Something like $403 million, approved by the Army Corps of Engineers.

What?

Did that needed feasibility study get done and showed that this supposed flood control economic development scheme was feasible and within the normal scope of an Army Corps of Engineers project?

How does the Army Corps of Engineers explain this flood control project in an area which has not flooded for well over half a century, while other areas of Tarrant County have had deadly, property damaging floods?

And what becomes of J.D. Granger now? He was hired, years ago, as Executive Director of the Trinity River Vision, so as to give his mother, Congresswoman Kay Granger, motivation to secure federal funding for Fort Worth's ridiculous Boondoggle.

Kay Granger failed to deliver. And voted "NO" on the infrastructure bill.

J.D. Granger has been paid will over a million bucks, plus perks, and other benefits, during the course of this project which has limped along for years.

Does anyone actually know what J.D. Granger has done all these years which has warranted paying him over a million dollars?

And now that J.D. Granger has zero use as a motivation for his mother to seek federal funding, isn't it time to remove J.D. from this project?

The absurdity of an unqualified person being hired to oversee a public works project has been painfully obvious for years. Just about anytime J.D. Granger has said anything in the press or elsewhere it was apparent he was in way over his head.

I expect the next chapter in this ongoing Boondoggle to be something along the line of digging the diversion channel being far more complicated than originally thought, thus needing more money. 

And that when the cement lined flood diversion ditch is dug under the three bridges which took seven years to build, that the digging is going to cause a catastrophic failure of one of the bridges... 
 

Wise Words About Fort Worth's Trinity River Vision Boondoggle Mess

A guest editorial type opinion piece appeared a couple days ago in the online version of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The subject was America's Biggest Boondoggle, also known as the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision.

A Vision which has been trying to be seen for almost two decades, with the primary accomplishment, thus far, being three supposedly iconic signature bridges built over dry land, taking seven years to build, due to being highly complex feats of engineering. 

That is a drone image of one of the bridges you see above. Breathtaking, isn't it. People will be wanting to come from all over the world to drive over those bridges and marvel at the engineering feat and the cement lined ditch.

But, you don't see that cement lined ditch in the above image, do you? Like we said, the bridges were built over dry land, to connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island. Currently there is no funding for the digging of the ditch, due to multiple complications and incompetency's. 

You probably will be paywall blocked from reading the After another Panther Island disappointment, city and private sector should step in opinion piece. This guest editorial by Chris Putnam makes multiple excellent points. Chris Putnam tried to replace Congresswoman Kay Granger, but his overly enthusiastic support of Trump doomed that effort.

We shall go through Putnam's piece and share those aforementioned excellent points...

Once more, our community finds itself lamenting another Washington budget cycle in which the Trinity River Panther Island project has not received federal funding. 

Every year, about this time, is Panther Island Groundhog Day. To quote the Star-Telegram Editorial Board: “As Washington spews $1.2 trillion for infrastructure, none for Panther Island. Why?” 

Yeah, why? Good question. And Putnam answers it...

But another question arises, too: How do we get out of this mess?

To answer these questions, it is important to understand how we got here. Panther Island was sold to taxpayers and voters as a “flood control project.” But the reality is that it was always principally a commercial real estate project conceived by Rep. Kay Granger. “Flood control” was the justification for the massive federal expenditure required to construct the proposed Trinity bypass channel. 

A proper flood control feasibility study has never been produced. In fact, the Tarrant Regional Water District, which oversees the project, refused money that the Trump administration offered just last year to perform one. The water district knows full well that, as currently structured, the project will never survive the review.

The lack of a feasibility study has long been the major roadblock to what has become America's Biggest Boondoggle. Putnam further elaborates...

Digging a bypass channel for the Trinity is the principal element of the project’s economic development element — creating a San Antonio-like river walk. This has been the primary issue with the project all along. U.S Army Corps of Engineers projects and budgets cannot be used for economic development projects. 

The water district may have successfully confused local bond voters with this shell game, but it’s well understood in Washington, which is why the project remains unfunded. Compounding this problem is the political reality that no one in Washington wants to attach themselves to the bad optics of nepotism and potential conflicts of interest in approving such a large budget with the requesting congresswoman’s son in charge of the project. 

The mention of "confused local bond voters" in the above paragraph perplexed me. There has never been a bond measure voted by the voters which specifically dealt with voter approval of the Trinity River Vision. The Vision was foisted on the public without the public's voting approval.

Continuing on...

As a community we must be honest about the project’s origins, its challenges and the roadblocks to funding. The flood control element must be clearly and truly separated from the economic development project. This is a clear requirement for Corps flood projects. 

It has been perplexing for years now why those who are foisting this project on the public think they can somehow skip this key error in the actualizing of the project.

J.D. Granger should be completely removed from the project and all perceived conflicts of interest eliminated. Private partners should be brought in, along with fresh leadership that expands the city of Fort Worth’s role in governance. 

A legitimate, transparent public/private partnership approach should be implemented. Developers not controlled, approved or managed by J.D. Granger would contribute matching dollars directly to the bypass channel construction, thus becoming a true partner with the taxpayer and federal government. This is how other infrastructure costs are structured with developers. 

J.D. Granger being given a high paying job, for which it is now totally clear he was not qualified, has long been controversial. Hired to motivate his mother to secure federal funds. Which has not happened. And which likely sours many in Congress who know the details of Fort Worth's Boondoggle.

Continuing on...

Asking J.D. Granger to step away from the project, increasing the city’s governance role and asking the private sector entities who will ultimately profit to share in the channel-construction expense will help restore public trust and demonstrate good faith to Washington.

Political realities in D.C., Kay Granger’s nepotistic conflict of interest and the mismanagement of the project for the last 20 years dictate that she simply cannot steer this project to completion. Fort Worth civic leaders, local government entities, and the community at large must change strategies. 

Mr. Putnam has opined the most sensible take that I have read of the mess Fort Worth has gotten itself into. And Mr. Putnam suggests a sensible way forward out of this mess. A sensible way which makes sense. Making sense is something which has been sadly lacking from day one of what has become America's Biggest Boondoggle...

Hannah Hornblower Finds Fort Worth's Missing Beer Guzzling Frat Boy

A couple days ago a chorus of boos erupted in Fort Worth when Kay Granger's son, J.D. Granger, former Executive Director of America's Biggest Boondoggle, before being transferred to a new position where he could not so easily do damage, but still paid well over $200,000 a year, plus perks, failed to appear at a critical meeting of the Trinity River Vision Authority Board.

Yes, that is a run on sentence. I like a good run on sentence. I hope you got the gist of that run on sentence. J.D. Granger, Fort Worth's notorious perpetual Frat Boy, failed to show up at a critical TRVA meeting. This is not the first time J.D. has wimped out on appearing at a meeting.

I was at one where that happened, with someone in the crowd famously calling J.D. a gutless wonder.

Hannah Hornblower, however, was able to find out why J.D. was not at the TRVA meeting. He had more important things to do. We have long known of J.D. Granger's fondness for beer, famously promoting his sudsy fondness with his kids, cheering for beer and going nuts for runner's butts.

And Hannah Hornblower has photo documented for us what J.D. Granger was doing instead of attending a TRVA Board meeting. 

He was drinking beer, helping drain a keg at some location Hannah failed to identify for us.

That is J.D. grinning at the upper right of the above photo. It looks like he had a lot of people cheering for beer with him.

Will the Granger madness never end? A lot of inquiring minds want to know...

On His Way Out The TRWD Door Jim Oliver Lets Loose Loopy Defense Of J.D. Granger

 

A couple days ago we blogged about 225 Feet Of Panther Island Canal Ready For Riverwalking. after reading a Fort Worth online magazine article about Fort Worth's Boondoggle known as the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision.

In that article we found ourselves freshly appalled by J.D. Granger due to his penchant for unfortunate verbiage. This what J.D. said about the Boondoggle's diversion channel canal...

“Locals will never know it. Everyone’s walking down with a margarita — might fall in because you’re drunk — [and] they just think it’s pretty. But actually, it serves a very important purpose.”

________

On Facebook there were multiple comments about J.D.'s various utterances in this article. Comments along the line of how does this idiot not get fired?

Also, in this Fort Worth magazine article J.D. tries to explain why it has taken so long for the Boondoggle to get anything done, claiming the area of the bridges as having been an "environmental hot mess" elaborating with...

“We were having to buy the property, move the property, demo the property, do the environmental cleanup — all of that had to take place before the bridges could even start,” Granger says, adding that the amount of hazardous materials removed totaled to about 330,000 tons.

_________

Multiple people have asked how could it be possible that 330,000 tons of hazardous waste were removed before construction of the little bridges could begin? And where did all that, likely imaginary, tonnage of hazardous waste go?

Last night my phone made its incoming text message noise. Twice. On the second instance I got vertical and found my phone. Text messages from Elsie Hotpepper. The first saying "OMG" with the second a link to an article in the most recent edition of the Fort Worth Report, specifically an article titled On his way out the door, water district general manager lets loose, emails reveal.  

The first three paragraphs of this Fort Worth Report article...

With retirement imminent, Water District General Manager Jim Oliver strongly aired his grievances to board members about the perception of the Panther Island/Central City Flood Control project.

Emails obtained by Fort Worth Report through a Texas Public Information Act request show Oliver defending the head of the project, JD Granger.

Oliver’s email came after Granger had made a Facebook post that the new board president, Leah King, told the Report on Tuesday was “in poor taste.”

______________

J.D. made the controversial post on Facebook. That post is what you see screen capped above. 

The post, accompanied by a picture of Granger with two others on the White Settlement bridge, read in part, “This bridge opening is just another expected milestone towards the completion of a project that makes the old guard in Fort Worth uncomfortable. … And at the finish line everyone will think it was easy and take all the credit.

_______________

Take all the credit? More likely it will be blame and shame which will be the theme of the final reckoning of this multi-decade debacle.

Just look at that bridge J.D. and two of his minions are standing on. J.D. and his fellow propagandists have long hyperbolized that this bridge along with the other two being built over dry land, will be iconic signature bridges. It truly is mind boggling that someone can try and sell such nonsense, and still keep his job which currently pays him well over $200,000 a year.

Via the Texas Public Information Act the Fort Worth Report received multiple emails in which Jim Oliver defends J.D. Granger. You can read the email exchanges in the On his way out the door, water district general manager lets loose, emails reveal.

My favorite of Jim Oliver's defenses of J.D. was this...

Oliver concluded the email by saying he’d talk with Granger about the post but chalked it up to him “pushing the envelope” because “that’s what creative and driven people often do.”

_____________

Creative? What has J.D. created? Being part of America's Biggest Boondoggle?

Now that Fort Worth seems to have at least two news sources which seem to be doing actual investigative journalism, perhaps someone can find out exactly what it is J.D. Granger does which has warranted paying him so much for so many years? Along with maybe finding out what it is, exactly, that J.D.'s wife, Shanna, does that has her on the payroll. 

Also, it would be a good thing to investigate the mechanism by which J.D. Granger was selected to be the Executive Director of what has become America's Biggest Boondoggle. Why would a low level prosecuting attorney be hired to do a job for which he had zero experience or qualifications?

As Steve A (and others) have frequently said, "Inquiring minds want to know"...

225 Feet Of Panther Island Canal Ready For Riverwalking

Yesterday, the day known as Sunday, Steve A, currently watching Texas from a luxurious vantage point in Ocean Shores, Washington, posted a comment to a blog post which was posted earlier on that yesterday sunny Sunday.

Steve A's comment...

Steve A has left a new comment on your post "Kay Granger Says Fort Worth's Boondoggle Will Get Buckets Of Federal Funding...":

Can we expect a story of the extra cash approved to Oliver ($300K) and Granger's kid ($60K) before too long? It's rare to see the Startlegram scoop Durango! What's more, are you planning to do one or more stories on the Panther Island Central City Flood Project? Its Executive Director is one JD Granger. As far as I can tell, their main accomplishment to date has been to build 225 feet of sidewalk along a canal. There's a story at https://fwtx.com/news/progress-report/ - and even that sidewalk appears to be three years behind schedule if you look at the "related" blurb about JD from the same publication. Apparently, JD's sidewalk is like a local version of the Trump border wall.

Inquiring minds want to know!

______________

Well...

The Panther Island Looks to Unveil First Part of River Walk Before End of Year article, to which Steve A pointed us, has some interesting elements. 

The first paragraph...

The Panther Island project has been going on for well over a decade now, and in that time frame, has also become the brunt of both praise and critique from those anxiously awaiting the promised San Antonio-style riverwalk and surrounding developments illustrated in those fancy renderings. In April, what’s considered the first vertical progress on the project finally opened to traffic — the White Settlement Bridge, one of three V-pier bridges offering connectivity to the 800-acre district.

____________

Well over a decade? The Boondoggle has been boondoggling along since this century began. Has anyone heard any of this praise from people anxiously awaiting a promised San Antonio-style riverwalk? The simple little bridges which look like freeway overpasses are considered the first vertical progress?

Continuing on...

But just along North Main Street, behind chain-link fences in the shadow of the five-story Encore Panther Island apartment complex, the fun part of the project — the part everyone’s been waiting for — remains hidden from the public eye.

Well, a 225-foot-long portion of it anyway. 

Nestled right in the center of Encore Panther Island is the first part of the Panther Island Riverwalk, now filled with water as it waits to join the rest of what will be about 1.75 miles of canal running along the district.

____________

Why isn't this Encore apartment complex considered vertical progress? Everyone has been waiting for the fun part of this project? With that fun part supposedly being the Panther Island Riverwalk? 225 feet of the 1.75 mile canal has now been filled with water, and is awaiting being enjoyed? Yeah, that illustrative photo of this section of Riverwalk looks real enjoyable.

Continuing on...

But aside from just giving locals something fun to enjoy, those spearheading the project have long touted the canal’s functional purpose — to serve as the main stormwater arterials for the City of Fort Worth and allow for the removal of outdated levees, replacing them with better flood protection via the canal.

____________

Oh, this canal will serve as stormwater arterials, thus allowing the removal of levees which are supposedly outdated, but which have prevented flooding for well over a half century, whilst other areas of Fort Worth and Tarrant County are in dire need of better flood protection. 

Looking at that photo of this short section of canal, it is a bit difficult to see how this is going to handle the Trinity River when it goes into flood mode.

Continuing on with a bizarre quote from that gift which just keeps on giving, J.D. Granger...

“Locals will never know it,” JD Granger, executive director of Panther Island Central City Flood Project, says. “Everyone’s walking down with a margarita — might fall in because you’re drunk — [and] they just think it’s pretty. But actually, it serves a very important purpose.”

____________

Local will never know the little canal serves a very important purpose? Really? For most of this century locals have been hearing about a flood diversion channel, whilst seeing three little bridges being slowly built over dry land. So, how and why is it that J.D. thinks the locals will never know what the canal is for while they are drunkenly walking the riverwalk with a margarita in hand?

J.D. Granger has a long history of embarrassing himself. Way back in June of 2014 we blogged about one of the weirdest J.D. Granger embarrassments in This Morning I Learned J.D. Granger Is Promoting Little Kids Cheering For Beer & Going Nuts For Runner's Butts.

Continuing on...

The Panther Island project hasn’t gone on without opposition, however, as many remain critical over its hefty price tag (it’s part of the $1.16 billion Central City Flood Project, of which $29 million for utility work is coming from the public), and simply the fact that everything’s taking so long.

To that, Granger has two responses: Regarding the cost, funding for the Panther Island Riverwalk is coming from investors and developers who are paying the Tarrant Regional Water District the amount they would essentially pay to mitigate the stormwater runoff they would create. On the amount of time it’s taken to see things go vertical, Granger cites, in part, the need to clean up the “environmental hot mess” that the formerly industrial property used to be, previously filled with hazardous chemicals like lead and ammonia. 

“We were having to buy the property, move the property, demo the property, do the environmental cleanup — all of that had to take place before the bridges could even start,” Granger says, adding that the amount of hazardous materials removed totaled to about 330,000 tons.

___________

According to Granger, funding is coming from investors and developers? If that is the case why is this project constantly in slow motion construction mode whilst awaiting federal funding courtesy of J.D.'s mother's budget finagling, which is what Kay Granger has long been expected to deliver, thanks to her son being given a high paying job for which he had zero qualifications.

Before the bridges could start J.D. says they had to buy, move and demo property? And that added up to 330,000 tons of hazardous material? Anyone remember seeing all those tons being moved? Where did they move to?

And one can not help but wonder how many margaritas J.D. Granger had consumed prior to being interviewed for this article...

Don't Miss Saturday's Fort Worth Ribbon Cutting Bridge Ceremony

Saw that which you see above, this Thursday morning, on Twitter, brought to us by the good people at Panther Island - Central City.

Way back in 2014 there was a TNT exploding ceremony to celebrate the start of construction of three simple little bridges over dry land, destined, it was hoped, one day to connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island.

These bridges are part of what is known as the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision, or, more commonly, as America's Biggest Boondoggle.

And now, in 2021, seven years after 2014, one of those bridges is going to have itself a ribbon-cutting ceremony this coming Saturday, as in July 17, at 9 in the morning.

It is not known if any TNT will be exploding, but the Fort Worth Herd (that's about a dozen longhorns who live in the Fort Worth Stockyards) will be in attendance, entertained by a Mariachi Real de Alvarez & Fort Worth Ballet Folklorico.

We assume one of the entertainments is a mariachi band whilst the other are some sort of Mexico themed ballet dancers.

Is it normal for a big city to have a ceremony like this for the completion of a little bridge which took seven years to build? We think not. 

America's Biggest Boondoggle has been panhandling for years trying to extract money from the more prosperous parts of America to fund Fort Worth's flood control economic development scheme, where there has been no flooding for well over half a century.

How much money have America's Biggest Boondogglers wasted on things like bridge ribbon-cutting ceremonies, propaganda signage, concerts, river floats, fireworks, design mistakes, roundabout artwork and other money wasting items, whilst asking America for more money?

And why is Kay Granger's unqualified son, J.D., still being paid well over $200K a year, for year after year after year, as this poorly planned, ineptly implemented, public works project the public has never voted for, limps along, with little to show for the effort and money spent, except for things like three simple little bridges which look like freeway overpasses?

It's a mind boggling boondoggle...

Ongoing TRWD Scandal Keeps Growing Over Dry Land

 

This morning's email included one from S-Man which was a comment from yesterday's blog post above Washington's melting snowpack, with the comment having zero to do with melting snow...

S-Man has left a new comment on your post "Washington's Mountains Are Melting":

[NOT FOR PUBLICATION]

Tarrant water district board members question law firm’s advice

__________________

It would seem S-Man used the blog comment method to point me to an article he thought I would find of interest. S-Man was correct in his thinking.

That is a screen cap from the article you see above. With a new look at one of Fort Worth's pitiful little bridges which have taken years and years to build over dry land. You also get a good look at those imaginarily iconic signature V-Piers, frequently touted by the Trinity River Vision's J.D. Granger as being something real special.

J.D. Granger shows up in this article in the Fort Worth Reporter. But the main thrust of the article is the fact that apparently the majority of the Tarrant Region Water District Board is fed up with the board's longtime general counsel, and the dubious legal advice said counsel has provided.

Such as okaying funneling $300K to departing General Manager, Jim Oliver, along with $60K to J.D. Granger. With that money being a bogus adding to their accounts of supposed un-paid leave time off.

These sham pay-offs were approved by former TRWD Board President, Jack Stevens, who received the fewest votes in the latest TRWD Board election, thus removing Stevens from the TRWD Board.

Stevens made these sham pay-offs without consulting the TRWD Board.

The TRWD Board has since rescinded the sham payoffs. And it looks like there may be some sort of criminal investigation into what appear to be improper shenanigans.

Read the entire Fort Worth Reporter Tarrant water district board members question law firm’s advice article for all the details...

New Granger Grafting Grifting Revelations In Ongoing TRWD Scandal

I've been away from my computer for a few hours. But, I had my phone with me, which beeped a couple times, with the beeping letting me know a new wrinkle in the ongoing TRWD Grifting Slush Fund Scandal has been rendered.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, perhaps motivated by competition from the new kid in town known as the Fort Worth Reporter, seems to be finally looking in a clear headed, sort of, way at the mess that is the Tarrant Region Water District, and is spawn, the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision, better known as America's Biggest Boondoggle.

The image you see above is a screen cap from the Star-Telegram's article about this latest revelation, this time directly involving Kay Granger's son, J.D. who you see on the left in the photo.

In addition to the main disgusting revelation in this article, we also learn that J.D. is now being paid $242,000 a year. Maybe it is time an actual investigate journalist finds out what it is which warrants paying Kay Granger's son that much money.

And now, the aforementioned article in its entirety...

Former Tarrant water board president gave Panther Island boss extra $60K in paid time off

Days before leaving office, and two months after he directed a paid leave exception for the outgoing general manager, the Tarrant Regional Water District’s former board president made a similar arrangement for Panther Island executive J.D. Granger.

According to documents obtained through a public information request, former board president Jack Stevens wrote an internal memo on May 13 — more than a week and a half after he lost his reelection bid, and five days before he left office. In the memo, Stevens directed water district staff to make an exception to the paid leave policy for “the current Development Director of TRWD.”

In an email chain, staff members clarify that the title references Granger. The exception allows Granger to bank 1,560 hours of paid time off, 520 beyond the maximum outlined in the district’s policy.

At Granger’s hourly rate, that’s more than $60,000 worth of extra time.

The exception also removed the district’s restrictions on how paid leave can be cashed in or rolled over. Stevens’ memo allowed Granger “to be paid for unused Paid Leave hours in full upon request, in a lump sum, by deposit into the District’s [retirement plan], over time, or otherwise as requested, subject to the requirements of applicable law and the District’s [retirement plan].”

According to water district documents, Granger is paid about $242,000 a year for his role as the executive director of the Panther Island/Central City project. That project, which has a price tag of more than $1 billion, has been ongoing for more than 15 years and has been spearheaded federally by Granger’s mother, U.S. Rep. Kay Granger.

After issuing the exception memo, Stevens followed up with a staff member on May 17, one day before he left office, and asked them to “please implement the exceptions in my Memorandum dated May 13, 2021.”

The exception that Stevens wrote for Granger is strikingly similar to an exception he wrote two months earlier, for now-retired general manger Jim Oliver.

That exception, which the board of directors voted unanimously to revoke on Tuesday, added more than 2,000 extra hours of paid time off into Oliver’s account. At Oliver’s hourly rate as general manager, that exception would allow him to cash in on more than $300,000 in post-retirement compensation.

Board president Leah King on Tuesday described the exception to Oliver as “ill-advised” and potentially “unlawful.” However, Oliver’s lawyer told the Star-Telegram that the exception was made following district policy, which includes a clause that paid leave exceptions can be made.

King and the other board members have not made any public comments on Granger’s exception.

Lawyers for the Tarrant water district are conducting an “inquiry” into the exception made for Oliver. It’s unclear if the exception made for Granger is also included in that inquiry.

Granger and King could not immediately be reached for comment on Friday.

Former Tarrant water board president gave Panther Island boss extra $60K in paid time off.

Star-Telegram Wonders How Long Until Panther Island Becomes An Island

 

This morning a new article showed up in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about America's Biggest Boondoggle. By the end of this long article we learn the article was written by a new reporter, recently moved to Fort Worth, Emily Brindley, who the Star-Telegram is characterizing as an "investigative reporter".

This should be interesting. The Star-Telegram has not had one of those before, regarding anything to do with the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision, which has become, after limping along for years, America's Biggest Boondoggle.

The article is titled As another bridge opens, how long until Fort Worth’s Panther Island becomes an island?

Just the article's title raises red flags. Such as, even the article's title admits that that which has been called an island, is not an island. 

Let's go through this article and comment as we go along. The first paragraph...

Late this weekend, Fort Worth officials plan to open the new North Main Street bridge that leads to the eventual Panther Island — marking another step forward in a project that has been more than a decade in the making and is still years from completion.

First off, this project has been limping along this entire century. Just the building of the three simple little bridges is taking almost a decade. Is it not even remotely concerning that a project which originally was touted as being a vitally needed flood control/economic development scheme is still years from completion?

Clearly, not vitally needed.

The second paragraph...

But local officials say the many moving pieces of the project are beginning to align. With a new presidential administration, an impending federal infrastructure bill and the return of appropriations earmarks, officials say that federal funding could soon flow into the project and kick off the next big phase of construction.

Have we not heard this moving parts beginning to align propaganda before? There is actual vitally needed infrastructure work in America, including much work needed in Fort Worth, such as addressing actual, real, flooding issues in Fort Worth. Why would, or should the rest of America help pay for Fort Worth's inept Boondoggle after it has been so badly mismanaged for so many years?

Why should, or would, federal money flood into Fort Worth for this project when the voters of Fort Worth have never voted to approve this public works project? Let alone be asked to support a bond issue to pay for it, like towns wearing their Big City pants do.

The next two paragraphs are a doozy, followed by one of the photos from the Star-Telegram article illustrating the imaginary beautiful bridges...

Tarrant County administrator G.K. Maenius pointed to the bridges as evidence that “we’re finally seeing some results” — and he said he’s pleased with the aesthetics of those results, too.

“I don’t know if anyone realized just how beautiful those bridges are going to be,” he said. “I’m not a bridge guy, but even to me, they look pretty darn good.”

Yeah, that is one super beautiful bridge. And look at those signature V-Piers, which J.D. Granger insisted on, rather than the actual cool looking design of the West 7th Street Bridge over the Trinity River. Clearly this guy who admits he is not a bridge guy, has not seen any of the world's actual impressive signature type bridges. Maybe heading west and seeing the Golden Gate Bridge might be too much bother for education purposes, but this Tarrant County administrator could simply drive a short distance east, to Dallas, and see the two actual signature bridges over the Trinity River, which actually do look pretty darn good.

You reading this in non-Fort Worth America, you good with your tax dollars helping Fort Worth build this?  Moving on...

The creation of an island necessitates the digging of a new channel north of downtown Fort Worth, which would connect the Clear and West forks of the Trinity River and then connect the ends of a U-shaped bend in the Trinity River. The new channel would effectively create two islands, together called Panther Island.

This is the first I have read there will be two imaginary islands. Both called Panther Island. If there are two, shouldn't they be known as the Panther Islands? Like in my old home zone in Washington, where the dozen of islands in the San Juan Strait are known as the San Juan Islands. But those islands in Washington are real islands, not cut off from the mainland by a cement lined ditch.

Moving on...

And for access over the eventual channel, the Texas Department of Construction in 2014 began building the three bridges, which currently span dry land. At the time, officials said the bridges would be completed by 2018.

Texas Department of Construction? I have not heard of this Department before. Maybe the Star-Telegram's new investigative reporter can do some actual investigating to find out why it has taken so long to build three simple little bridges over dry land? With construction to be completed three years ago.

Moving on a couple paragraphs...

Officially, the $1.17 billion project is broken into two pieces: the flood control portion, which is known as the Central City project and primarily involves digging the 1.5-mile channel, and the economic development portion, which is known as the Panther Island project and primarily involves the development of the industrial land in the area.

Officially? When did this breaking the project into pieces thing officially happen? When America's Biggest Boondoggle began around the start of this century it was called Trinity Uptown. A few years later this became the Trinity River Vision. I saw Central City on signage in Gateway Park, years ago, far east from the area which does not need new flood control, because it has not flooded since well over a half century ago, due to flood prevention measures already in place. When did the economic development part of this scheme become known as the Panther Island Project? The Boondoggle has been sold as a flood control/economic development scheme from the start. Slapping the Panther Island label on this that and the other thing came around about the time J.D. Granger and the Trinity River Vision began hosting Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats in the polluted Trinity River, labeling this as happening at Panther Island Pavilion. Where there is no island or pavilion, by any sane person's definition of either island or pavilion.

Skipping ahead a few exhausting paragraphs to the following doozy...

Officials have long said that it was cheaper and easier to build the bridges over dry land, and that the federal government would pay for the channel construction because it’s a flood control project.

Uh, if it was easier to build these three simple little bridges over dry land, why is the project years behind being completed? And, as has been pointed out many many times, there was no option other than to build the bridges over dry land. How could there be any other option? I mean, this entire project is rife with wanton stupidity, but it is hard to believe the stupidity could be so dumb as to dig a ditch, line it with cement, fill it with water. And then build bridges over it.

There has never been any other option than to build these bridges over dry land. How many times must this be repeated before the Star-Telegram ceases repeating this "cheaper and easier" nonsense?

The next paragraphs repeat the propaganda about securing federal funds, Kay Granger's failed role in doing so, the Trump administration refusing to help because the project has never done a comprehensive cost-benefit study and thus is not policy compliant, which then leads to hoping "the Biden administration will look more favorably on the Fort Worth project."

This article makes no mention of the fact Kay Granger's unqualified son, J.D., was hired as the Trinity River Vision's Executive Director, at a salary which has now gone over $200K, so as to motivate J.D.'s mother to secure those federal funds to secure J.D. a good paying job.

Why would the Biden administration look favorably at the Fort Worth project with all its baggage? There still has been no cost benefit study. The project is mired in mismanagement and project delays. The project wastes money on flood control where there has been no flooding for over half a century. Why would the Biden administration waste federal money on this Fort Worth boondoggle while the town ignores actual real flooding issues in other parts of the town?

Moving on deeper into this article...

Mark Mazzanti, a consultant on the flood control portion of the project and a 35-year veteran of the Army Corps of Engineers, said the federal government’s finite funding allocation means difficult decisions about which projects to fund. But he also said that the Panther Island/Central City project has “a number of strengths,” including support from locals, from Congress and from the Corps itself.

A number of strengths? If the locals support this boondoggle why have they never been allowed to vote on it? Like voting yes on a bond issue to pay for it. The amount of money we are talking about here is not that big for most big cities and their public works projects. What makes Fort Worth different? If this is such a good idea, such a brilliant scheme, such a well thought out and important project, why would those who want to make this happen not go to the voters and ask for their help by passing a bond issue to pay for the thing?

And then this...

Federal funding would mean that workers could begin on the new channel — first with final planning and then actual digging and construction.

Yes, federal funds would mean the planning for the ditch could be finalized with actual digging beginning. The same could have happened if years ago voters voted to support a bond issue to finance this vitally needed flood control and economic development scheme, which apparently really is not even remotely vitally needed, due to the backwards way Fort Worth has gone about actualizing the ill begotten project.

And then the following two paragraphs...

Even after federal funding comes through, it would likely be another eight to 10 years until the channel was actually completed, according to Buhman, the soon-to-be general manager of the water district.

That means that the channel would be finished — and Panther Island would actually become a full island — by 2030 at the earliest.

So, eight to 10 years after these three bridges are finally completely built over dry land, to connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island, the channel, actually ditch, will actually be completed. Yeah, this sounds like a really well thought out project that the federal government should jump right on and help to the max. Oh my, Panther Island might actually be a full imaginary island by 2030, after calling it Panther Island for two decades.

We are almost at the end of this article, two more paragraphs...

In the meantime, Buhman said, officials are focused on getting the land as ready as it can be for the channel. The water district is working on environmental cleanup of the Panther Island properties, he said, while the city moves and sets up utilities.

“We are shovel-ready for that channel and we’re still doing that prep work but I would say it is well on its way,” Buhman said. “And we are at the place that we are ready for that federal investment and for that construction.”

Really? What is the manifestation of those officials getting the land ready for the channel? Are they clearing the land of weeds and debris? What? How is the water district working on the environmental cleanup? Many have long thought that if this ever gets to the point where a lot of dirt is moving it will uncover a contamination level requiring an EPA Superfund cleanup. Shovel-ready and doing prep work? Again, what prep work does one do preparing to dig a ditch? It's well underway? As in how? Ready for that federal investment which likely will never come?

So, one can not help but wonder, if this new Star-Telegram 'investigative journalist" is the real thing.

Will she be doing some investigating to let us know, after all these years, why it has taken so long to build three simple little bridges? Will she look into what it is that J.D. Granger actually does to warrant being paid so much money? How about looking into the real reason J.D. Granger was hired? 

TRWD Board Violates Texas Open Meetings Law Again

Yesterday Elsie Hotpepper emailed me a link to an article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram titled Did Tarrant water district directors violate open meetings law when they discussed manager?

This is a long article containing a lot of what seem like obfuscations trying to deny the obvious fact that Texas law regarding open meetings had been violated.

This is not the first time the TRWD Board has been accused of this type thing. Plotting shenanigans behind closed doors with the public and press shut out.

This current instance involves discussing the hiring of a manager to replace the controversial current TRWD general manager, Jim Oliver. 

The controversy stems from doing this before the newly elected TRWD Board member, Mary Kelleher, once again is sworn in as a board member.

The current TRWD board president, who Mary Kelleher defeated in the recent election, Jack Stevens, wants to make the selection of the new general manager before Mary comes on board.

Mary Kelleher tends to asks questions, which make those who like their shenanigans not to be questioned, a bit uncomfortable.

Now those living in parts of America where something like a water board is of no consequence, well, such is not the case in Fort Worth and Tarrant County.

Where water is gold.

Basically the situation is a 21st century version of the early 20th century California Water Wars.

For example, this line from the Wikipedia article about the California Water Wars could be applied to the Tarrant Region Water District (TRWD) Board...

The water rights were acquired through political fighting and, as described by one author, "chicanery, subterfuge ... and a strategy of lies".
 
In the California Water Wars it was the chicanery, subterfuge and lies involved in taking water from the Owens Valley which sparked the war. 

In the TRWD Water Wars it is the chicanery, subterfuge and lies involved in things like building a reservoir east of Dallas, in cooperation with Dallas, along with a pipeline, all costing a lot of money. We are talking a lot of money in the billions type of a lot of money. The deal struck with Dallas regarding this reservoir and pipeline and who gets the water and how and when they get it, is the core of that particular controversy.

And then there is the TRWD's Trinity River Vision Boondoggle, which has been limping along for most of this century, spending money with little to show for the spending. And what one can see are things like unfinished little freeway overpass type bridges, being built over dry land, to connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island, with that imaginary island made possible only if a cement lined ditch is ever dug under those little bridges, with Trinity River water diverted into the ditch.

A less expensive example of  TRWD TRV chicanery is an item such as the "work of art", at an almost million dollar cost, installed years ago at the center of a roundabout, installed years before that roundabout become functional. Why was money spent on this "work of art" which some have described as an homage to an aluminum trash can, and others as a giant cheese grater? Did the artist have a friend on the TRWD or TRV board who was helping this artist by directing this art project to its almost million dollar beneficiary? Why was there no design competition? Or some sort of open call for ideas of what to install at the center of that roundabout? And why was it installed years before the roundabout was serving its roundabout function?

Another example of this type TRWD chicanery was when the TRWD finagled to buy the property on which Lagrave Field was located. Board member, Jim Lane, railroaded this one, to help his financially beleaguered friend who owned the property. If I remember right something like $21 million was paid by the TRWD for this chunk of land. And then part of that chunk was turned into the world's first drive-in movie theater of the 21st century.

Chicanery, subterfuge and a strategy of lies, yes, that sort of sums of the modus operandi of the TRWD over the years I have watched it in action.

I suspect soon Mary Kelleher will be getting answers to those questions she was blocked from getting her first time around on the TRWD Board.

Maybe we will learn why J.D. Granger has not been fired. And how that homage to an aluminum trash can came to be. And how much has been spent on junkets and other nonsense by J.D. Granger and his merry band of grifting river floaters...