Rumored J.D. Granger Shanna Cate Imaginary Caribbean Wedding Photo

In the past week, or two, I have made mention of the fact that we do not know if the Caribbean island nuptials took place between J.D. Granger and his long time TRVA mistress, Shanna Cate, as planned, last February.

Googling brought no confirmation. And we have not heard from our inside the Trinity River Vision source known as Deep Moat, confirming the wedding took place.

Deep Moat was planning to attend, and hopefully get us some photo documentation.

We did get the photo you see here, via email, sent from an email address which gave no clue as to the identity of the sender.

The text which accompanied this photo claimed this is a wedding photo of J.D. and Shanna, with the photo taken a couple minutes before they exchanged their sacred wedding vows.

Whilst supposedly attired in non-conventional wedding attire.

Well.

First off, We might suggest J.D. may have greater need than Shanna for the top part of her bikini.

And second off. We are 100% certain this is not a wedding photo.

But that this is a photo, cropped and slightly altered, which we have seen previously, of J.D. Granger and his then mistress, not yet wife, standing in the crystal clear waters of the beautiful Trinity River at one of J.D. and Shanna's infamous Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats at Fort Worth's imaginary world class music venue at the imaginary pavilion on the imaginary Panther Island.

And we are still wondering if the J.D. Granger - Shanna Cate nuptials were an imaginary wedding which did not take place....

Brazos River Cruise To Waco's Signature V-Pier Bridge Built Over Actual Water

For illustrative purposes I searched for an image of one of the River Safari cruise ship river boats of the sort which the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision's Party Planner Division has contracted with to float river boat cruises on the super scenic Trinity River as it passes by the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth.

The River Safari cruise ship river boat operation is headquartered in Waco, Texas. I assume the above photo shows a River Safari river boat on the Brazos River at a location on the actually scenic Brazos River as it passes through Waco.

Among the actual scenic scenery one would see via a River Safari river boat cruise on the Brazos River is an actual real non-imaginary signature bridge, that being the iconic Waco Suspension Bridge. A short distance from that bridge one would float by the scenic cliffs of Cameron Park.

And imagine my surprise when I found the above photo and I saw the bridges. The first one looks like one of the pedestrian bridges which cross the Trinity River near the location of the Trinity River Vision's inner tube parties at the location of the Boondoggle's imaginary island.

And then there is the surprise of the second bridge.

Let's take a closer look at that surprising second bridge...

Are those V-piers holding up that bridge?

V-piers?

You know, those supposedly unique, one-of-a-kind piers which America's Biggest Boondoggle's propagandaists tout as making America's Biggest Boondoggle's bridges "signature" bridges, destined to become iconic symbols of, well, currently, iconic symbols of America's Biggest Boondoggle.

Those Fort Worth V-piers being built over dry land are now well into their 5th year of construction, with no end in sight until, maybe, some point in the next decade.

Did J.D. Granger and his Confederacy of Dunces copy a Waco bridge design before copying Waco's river boat cruises?

Is the Brazos River a polluted e.coli infested murky mess like the Trinity River? My times seeing the Brazos it looked like a normal river, not anything close to being a glorified ditch with heavily littered banks.

And another thing we have been wondering about regarding the Fort Worth version of Waco's Brazos River river boat cruises.

What with the Fort Worth version being a Trinity River Vision Party Planner Division operation, of course, booze consumption is a component, with the BYOB concept being pushed by the TRVPPD chief planner, Shanna Cate (Granger*).

Are there restroom facilities of the modern sort on board the Trinity River cruise ships? Or will the restroom facilities be the Fort Worth norm of an outhouse, or two, somewhere on one of the cruise ship's decks?

*We still have not received confirmation that the nuptials between Shanna Cate and her formerly married boyfriend, J.D. Granger, actually took place, as planned, on an isolated Caribbean island last February.

Deep Moat Surrounds J.D. Granger's Water Scandals

It was four years ago I blogged about The Confederacy Of Dunces First Public Vote On The Trinity River Vision Boondoggle. I learned this when I was searching for some related subject. I saw the title and could not remember to what I could possibly have been referring regarding a public vote about the Boondoggle.

Recently Elsie Hotpepper gave me reason to try and remember when I first heard from the entity known as Deep Moat, my inside the Trinity River Vision information source, with some of that Deep Moat information being details of J.D. Granger's TRVA office romance, which recently became public knowledge..

Eventually I gave up testing my feeble memory and just resorted to asking Deep Moat. This led me to ascertaining the exact date I learned of J.D. Granger's extramarital affair, via an archived email Deep Moat sent back to me...

From: Deep Moat Informant
To: Durango
Sent: Saturday, October 23, 2010 2:57 PM
Subject: Trinity River Vision

I am your source for all things Trinity River Vision straight from the horse's mouth. I have long felt like emailing you to tell you how much I enjoy reading your sarcasm directed towards the TRVA.  Your blog has been very entertaining to me and it's good to know that someone else is able to see the insanity of the leader, J.D. Granger and his project.  I happen to be... (the remainder of this email has been redacted due to the fact that what has been redacted would reveal the identity of Deep Moat)

 Looking forward to hearing from you,

DMI (Deep Moat Informant)

_____________________

So, it has been eight years now since I first heard from Deep Moat. And what we then referred to as simply the Trinity River Vision, a cloudy vision which morphed in the years which followed into the Trinity River Central City Panther Island District Vision, and eventually America's Biggest Boondoggle. Ir was via a detailed email from Deep Moat, that same day I first heard from DM, that I learned of J.D. Granger's extramarital office shenanigans.

Of late, the man who many believe is responsible for this relatively simple project becoming a mired Boondoggle, J.D. Granger, has been in the news due to displaying a high level of cluelessness regarding this ongoing embarrassment. Among that which has been Granger news of late is the long obvious nepotism, and the long secret J.D. Granger assignation with one of his employees.

Like I have just indicated, I first learned of J.D. office affair eight years ago. In detail. But felt that this was not something I should be talking about. At that point in time.

But, now, in 2018, J.D. Granger's office affair with his now fiance, Shanna Cate, is public knowledge, and so those details I learned of eight years ago, and since, are now fair game, what with this being just one more reason J.D. Granger needs to be terminated from this job for which it is now so obvious he is not qualified.

J.D. Granger's office affair with one of his employees is a classic case of creating a hostile working environment. When the affair became common knowledge to TRVA employees resentment began to build when J.D.'s girl friend, Shanna, was given favorable treatment, perks, benefits, and trips other TRVA employees did not get.

J.D. Granger's supposed boss, Jim Oliver, who runs the TRVA parent TRWD agency, has claimed he had no knowledge of J.D.'s office affair til two years ago. And that when he learned of it he initiated the process of removing Shanna Cate from being "under" J.D. Granger.

Granger spoke of this in his controversial interview with NBC TV. Some of the NBC TV article's references to J.D. and the Shanna Cate affair....

NBC 5 Investigates recently reported that J.D. Granger, head of the Trinity River Vision Authority, is also engaged to an employee on the Panther Island project, Shanna Cate, who helps him develop the island and manage community events.

Granger said there are plans to separate his work from hers when the TRVA eventually launches a nonprofit, headed by Cate, to manage the community events. A nonprofit would also provide tax advantages to the agency.

"It's anticipated that she's going to have her own nonprofit over there," he said, adding, "She can run those events because she just runs them very, very well."

Initial steps have been taken to incorporate such a nonprofit, selecting the name "Panther Island Initiative," even though the water district's board of directors has yet to vote on whether to create such a group.

_____________________

Let's see what Deep Moat had to say, EIGHT years ago, about J.D. Granger and his then girl friend's Trinity River Vision party planning initiative....

When I first heard of the plan to have river float beer parties I couldn't help laughing out loud. Between me and you, all those people in that office do is: sleep in, drink, play golf, eat expensive lunches, drink, eat expensive dinners, name drop, meetings, meetings, meetings, business trips, expensive dinners, happy hours, more drinks, rinse and repeat...I wish you could blog about some of these things,

__________________

Well, way back in 2010 I did not feel comfortable blogging about something like J.D. Granger's office affair with an underling. I shared the info with others, such as Elsie Hotpepper, but I have no recollection way back then of even hinting at this affair.

In the same email in which Deep Moat revealed specific details of J.D. Granger's office affair other details of Trinity River Vision questionable practices were made mention of, which should aggravate those paying J.D.'s salaries and footing the bill for this....

Other things that piss me off are all of the outrageous salaries, trips, computers, cell phones, free downtown valet parking for work...In fact one of their old receptionists was allowed a company car because she didn't have transportation.  I am flabbergasted how overpaid everyone is.  

____________________

Flabbergasted by the salaries way back in 2010? I've not heard from Deep Most what DM's opinion is of the current 213K annual Granger salary, or that of his girl friend. Or the other TRVA/TRWD nepotism beneficiaries.

Let's end this edition of talking about the Granger Water(gate) Scandal with a few more words from Deep Moat...

Also, I am curious--what got your river vision rant started?  I know those in the office have mentioned your blog before, in fact a while back, someone said they thought you were a facebook friend of JD.  Oh--and that facebook picture of JD is genius!  Why would someone in his position post such a picture. The stories I could tell you about that guy. I used to think he was alright, but time has proven me wrong.

______________

Eight year old words from Deep Moat is causing me to think it might be interesting to detail what it is which has caused me to be appalled for a long, long time, by what has become America's Biggest Boondoggle. Perhaps I will elaborate on that soon....

Is This Photo Documentation Of J.D. Granger's Final Boondoggle Beer Party?

Yesterday we talked about Hotpepper Deep Moat Search For J.D. Granger Junket Shenanigans.

And now today let's talk about some more J.D. Granger shenanigans.

But first I have a sort of embarrassing confession to make.

Somehow, in October, whilst I escaped Texas for a month in Arizona, something went awry with Google emailing me comments made to various posts on my various blogs and websites.

I discovered this lapse yesterday when I saw there were 258 comments awaiting moderation just for this blog you are reading right now. Most of those comments awaiting moderation I delete when I see them in incoming email, due to them being spam, stupid or not hitting the publish button worthy. The comments can show up for something like 11,000 blog posts, spanning something like 12 years. It's a daunting task keeping keeping on top of it.

Anyway, the number one comment maker, named Anonymous, made a comment back in October, which I only managed to get around to publishing yesterday....

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Fort Worth Weekly Sees Trinity River Vision Sleigh Sleight Of Hand...":

JD Granger & Matt Oliver celebrating Oktoberfest before finding out about the Boondoggle losing its federal funding. The pertinent photos are #68 and #81.

Oktoberfest Fort Worth 2018 at Panther Island Pavilion

_________________

The # 68 photo to which Anonymous refers is the one above, which makes the one below # 81.

The loss of Boondoggle funding, which took the smile off J.D. Granger's face, along with the smiles on the faces of his fellow grifters, I did manage to blog about whilst I was in Arizona, most notably in With Federal Funding Cut Will Fort Worth Finally End America's Biggest Boondoggle?

That is the notorious J.D. on the left side of the # 81 photo, mouth open. No clue if the guy reaching towards Granger, with the stein of beer is about to pour beer down J.D.'s gullet in some sort of Octoberfest frat boy type ritual.

I have been told that in addition to losing federal funding J.D. and his fellow grifters in the Granger Gang are nervous about the recent demands for a forensic audit which would look into how many public funds have been spent on things like this Octoberfest beer party.

Such as how much was spent to make the Octoberfest beer hall?

Were public funds used by J.D. and his girl friend/fiance, Shanna Cate, for their multiple trips to Germany to check out how the home country of Octoberfest does their festing?

Inquiring minds, and lawyers, want to know...

Hotpepper Deep Moat Search For J.D. Granger Junket Shenanigans

Last week someone asked Elsie Hotpepper to ask me if I could remember any specific details, such as precise dates, about junkets led by J.D. Granger on ostensible TRVA fact finding missions.

Such junket details would have been blogged many years ago, back when someone inside the TRVA, calling him or herself Deep Moat, was sending me details about various things eye witnessed, or known about, which disgusted Deep Moat.

Including being disgusted by married man, J.D. Granger's office affair with Shanna Cate. I was told about this inappropriate office shenanigan years ago, as in many years ago, and yet recently the guy who is J.D.'s boss, Jim Oliver, claims he only learned of this compromising relationship two years ago, admitting this when details of the affair recently came to light,in NBC TV reports raising questions about nepotism being rife in the TRWD and TRVA, causing disgruntlement in the TRWD/TRVA employee ranks.

So, this question about junket details had me searching my own blog because the search tool works better than my apparently failing memory. This search soon came to a blog post I had long forgotten, published back on Monday, July 29, 2013, titled The Continuing Quest To Find Who Is At The Center Of Fort Worth's Culture Of Corruption.

In light of the growing realization that something is dire wrong with the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision, and with many people now calling for the firing or resignation of J.D. Granger, and a forensic audit of this ongoing embarrassment which has become America's Biggest Boondoggle, I found what I read in that blog post from over five years ago to be currently even more relevant.

Below are a few lines from The Continuing Quest To Find Who Is At The Center Of Fort Worth's Culture Of Corruption...

Re-reading what Clyde Picht wrote about J.D. Granger being picked as the guy to run the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle is why at this point in time, in the graphic above, I have J.D. Granger at the Center of Fort Worth's Culture of Corruption.

Re-reading what Clyde Picht wrote got me thinking about TRWD board member Mary Kelleher's quest to get TRWD documents available for Mary's, and the public's perusal.

Thinking about TRWD documents got me wondering what sort of documentation exists of the communications between J.D. Granger and Jim Oliver regarding hiring J.D. to run the TRVB project.

J.D Granger was working as an assistant District Attorney. So, what happened? Did J.D. get a call one day, during a break from prosecuting, from Jim Oliver? An email? A personal meeting?

When Jim Oliver suggested to J.D. Granger that he was the man he wanted to run the TRV Boondoggle, what did J.D. say?

Did J.D. say to Jim Oliver I have absolutely no qualifications for such a job? Did J.D. ask Jim Oliver why are you thinking I could, or should, take this job?

What was Jim Oliver's explanation, to J.D., as to why Jim Oliver thought J.D. was the man for this particular job?

_________________

Go to The Continuing Quest To Find Who Is At The Center Of Fort Worth's Culture Of Corruption to read what Clyde Picht had to say, years ago, about the hiring of J.D. Granger for a job for which it is now horribly obvious he was not qualified...

Another Anonymous Interesting Trinity River Vision Development

Last night an incoming email arrived which caused me to digitally connect from Arizona to the DFW zone to ask a question or two.

The email...

Please do not reveal me as source of this information.

Another "interesting" development at the TRV...

_________

I checked out the information and learned someone is getting married.

Getting married?

 That happens all the time. What is interesting about these particular nuptials?

Well. I think I may have some ideas.

Years ago, soon after bizarre signs began appearing on what is now known as "Panther Island", where there is no island, and never will be an island, with those signs touting "Trinity River Vision Underway", I heard from someone calling herself "Deep Moat" who also did not want her real name revealed.

Deep Moat was upset regarding things she was learning about that which was then known as the Trinity River Vision. Things like all the perks TRV employees were getting, like new iPads and iPhones, a well supplied liquor cabinet in TRV headquarters, company cars. I forget what else, due to the fact that that which has become America's Biggest Boondoggle has been limping along for so many years I have difficulty remembering it all.

But, I do remember the number one thing Deep Moat was upset about was the relationship which had developed between J.D. Granger, married with children, and a Trinity River Vision employee. At the time I did not know the name of the employee with whom Granger was philandering.

Deep Moat preferred to keep that secret, way back then.

I remember one of the things about the relationship between J.D. and his girl friend, which troubled Deep Moat, was that the two had gone on a fact finding junket together, just the two of them, ostensibly on TRV business which somehow necessitated staying over night in an expensive downtown Dallas hotel.

At TRV expense.

Deep Moat also thought all the travel junkets which J.D. was taking with groups of fellow TRV employees, including his girl friend, to various locations, supposedly to check out how those locations managed to manage successful water based developments, was a waste of public funds, which to Deep Moat's thinking were financing a frat boy's dream world.

I doubt any of those junkets ever included going to a city which had created a make believe island which necessitated building bridges over dry land to connect to that imaginary island. There are not many towns in America where the public would tolerate nonsense of that sort.

So, as the years went by, and the Trinity River Vision morphed into America's Biggest Boondoggle, J.D. Granger divorced his wife. And came out in the open with his relationship with his employee.

Shanna Cate.

And now they are getting married.

On an island in Mexico.

The Trinity River Vision was originally touted as a much needed flood control project and economic development scheme.

A flood control project where there has been no flooding for well over a half century. Unlike other areas of Fort Worth, which have flooded repeatedly, with deadly results.

And if that economic development was so vitally needed, why has the project limped along most of this century, under funded, seeking federal handouts?

While TRV employees, such as J.D. Granger are well paid. With J.D. currently making around $200K a year, plus perks and benefits. J.D.'s fiance, Shanna, is also well paid.

The pair has done well, economically, with the TRV economic development scheme.

Had J.D.'s mother, Congresswoman, Kay Granger, not nepotistically gotten this job for her son, for which he had ZERO qualifications, J.D. would likely still be a low level prosecutor, making far less than $200K a year.

And not able to afford an elaborate expensive wedding on an island in Mexico.

Reading the details of J.D. and Shanna's upcoming wedding via the website link anonymously sent it appears that with the contact info anyone can call or email and book one of the rooms J.D.'s wedding team has secured at this Mexican island resort. There is also info about making travel arrangements.

I hazard to guess that among the wedding guests will be the many others who have actually benefited from the Trinity River Vision economic development scheme.

Such as whoever has made a small fortune making copious amounts of ridiculous signage. 

Such as whoever has made a small fortune publishing the copious amounts of ridiculous printed publications.

Such as whoever has made a small fortune making America's Biggest Boondoggle's ridiculous websites.

Such as whoever has made a small fortune spewing the TRV's publicity propaganda.

Such as whoever pockets the money it costs the TRV to occupy the ground floor of the Star-Telegram building.

Such as whoever made a million bucks making that ridiculous homage to an aluminum trash can which sits in the center of the Boondoggle's unfinished roundabout traffic circle eyesore.

Anyway, it does my bitter heart good to see someone benefiting in such a hubris laden way from the failed economic scheme known as the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision, and that those generous voters voted on May 5 to give the TRV another quarter billion bucks.

Maybe J.D. and Shanna can get another pay raise as a wedding present from the good people of Fort Worth...

J.D. Granger Semi Skinny Dip In The Trinity River With One Of His Girl Friends

I have long opined it odd Fort Worth's favorite Frat Boy, J.D. Granger, he being the instigator behind Fort Worth's multitude of rabble getting wet in the polluted Trinity River, while not having been documented getting himself wet in the infamous river known to be infested with alligators and floating feces.

And then I heard from someone named Anonymous.

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Saturday Roller Blading Around Wichita Falls Sikes Lakes":

JD Granger at Rockin' the River and in the water. Photo #20.

Rockin' the River July 7

________________________

I got to Photo #20, as Anonymous suggested, to find myself shocked to be seeing a scantily clad J.D. Granger, with his current girl friend, Shanna Cate, standing in what I assume must be the Trinity River.

Then again, this is the Internet, and one can not trust what one sees, no matter how believable it appears.

Does anyone have photo documentation of  J.D. floating on an inner tube, splashing with the rabble? Confirming he actually got himself immersed in the Trinity River at one of his perverse Rockin' the River Happy Hour Floats?

The Janitor Has Me Looking At J.D. Granger & Matt Oliver In Goofy Glasses With Their Girlfriend

An amusing blog comment from The Janitor on yesterday's blogging about America's Biggest Boondoggle's claim there are no gators swimming with the tubers while Rockin' the River.

The Janitor has left a new comment on your post "Panther Island Pavilion Propaganda Claims No Gators Rockin' The River With The Tubers": 

Speak of the devil:

Messrs. Matt Oliver & JD Granger in their goofy gravitas eyeglasses.

The Janitor did not mention the lady on the left. According to the caption, standing next to Matt Oliver, that is Shanna Cate.

I am not 100% certain, but I think Shanna Cate is the Trinity River Uptown Central City Panther Island Vision Boondoggle's Human Resource Director.

You know the person an employee reports to if any shady shenanigans are going on between management and an employee, creating a hostile work environment, like if someone felt a co-worker  was getting preferential treatment due to being involved, flagrante delicto, with a member of management. That type thing.

Anyway, I think Messrs. Oliver and Granger look very business-like in their goofy gravitas eyeglasses.

I wonder why Ms. Cates is not looking business-like in goofy gravitas eyeglasses?

Captain Clean Wants You To Know Who Is Paying To Keep The Current TRWD Board Intact

Captain Clean is the most politically vocal 5 year old I have ever heard shout. Today Captain Clean was not happy about the following 6 paragraphs that appeared in today's Fort Worth Star-Telegram in an article titled Big money is pouring into the race for Tarrant Regional Water District board.

Mailings from water board members who are not running for office hinted that Bennett was contributing to Basham’s campaign, but Basham vehemently denied that, saying he is working with a PAC, HillCo Partners, and with a firm, K C Consulting in Austin.

“I am not getting anything from Monty Bennett. I went out and found a PAC that stood for open and honest government. I wasn’t going to run unless I had the means to go up against the powers that be,” Basham said.

Records show that Basham is getting donations primarily from two sources, both outside Tarrant County — HillCo and Bray.

Bray, the $100,000 contributor, owns the Barefoot Ranch, which is in the path of the Integrated Pipeline.

The incumbents are getting funds from various donors and lending money to their campaigns, records show.

Basham responds to the criticism about his out-of-county donations by pointing out that the incumbents have gotten out-of-state donations, as well as financial support from contractors with ties to the water district.

The Star-Telegram told you who some of Basham's donors are, but were not specific regarding the mountain of conflicts of interest type donations received by the TRWD Incumbents.

I received the following information about the TRWD donors yesterday....

WANT TO KNOW WHO IS PAYING FOR THE CURRENT TRWD BOARD MEMBERS TO STAY IN PLACE? HERE IS A LIST OF DONORS TO THEIR CAMPAIGNS FILED MAY 3,2013 AT THE 5PM DEADLINE .... SEE A PATTERN?

FREESE & NICHOLS PAC - FT WORTH - (DESIGN AND ENGINEERING CONTRACTOR WITH AWARDS FROM TRWD)

ROBERT SMITH - DALLAS - (PRINCIPAL - HALLIBURTON TECHNICAL SERVICES)

DANIEL BUHMAN - COPPELL - (CONTRACTOR WATER ENGINEER WITH CONTRACTS FOR IPL FROM TRWD/DWU)

JAMES J. PARRISH - ALLEN - (LAND SURVEYING / ENGINEERING FIRM CONTRACTS TRWD)

EDWARD MOTLEY - ARLINGTON - (VICE PRESIDENT - CH2M HILL / CONTRACTS WITH TRWD FOR WATER ENGINEERING)

GREGORY WELCH - MCKINNEY - (GEOGRAPHIC MANAGER - CH2M HILL / CONTRACTS WITH TRWD FOR WATER ENGINEERING)

BRINTON PAYNE - FT WORTH - (TRWD PAID REGISTERED LOBBYIST)

KATHY BEREK - FT WORTH - (DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL PROJECTS TRWD)

SHANNA CATE - FT WORTH - (PLANNING DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR TRINITY RIVER VISION)

MINDY ELLMER - FT WORTH - (REGISTERED LOBBYIST TRWD)

HOPPER SMITH - EDMOND OK - (PRINCIPAL - STRATEGIC ENERGY RESOURCES)

LOCKWOOD, ANDREWS, AND NEWMAN PAC - HOUSTON - (ENGINEERING CONTRACTOR)

CHARLIE GEREN - FT WORTH - (STATE REP)

WAYNE OWEN - FT WORTH - (PLANNING DIRECTOR TRWD)

HAYDN CUTLER - FT WORTH - (DEVELOPER AT MARINE CREEK & DOWNTOWN FTW)

JULIE WILSON - FT WORTH - (VICE PRESIDENT OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT CHESAPEAKE ENERGY FT WORTH)

DAVID YANKE - AUSTIN - (BRANCH MANAGER SAIC ENGINEERING / AWARDED IPL CONTRACT FROM TRWD)

CH2M PAC - DALLAS - (CONTRACTOR WITH AWARDS FROM TRWD)

CP&Y INC PAC - DALLAS - (DESIGN AND ENGINEERING FIRM)

HALFF ASSOCIATES PAC - RICHARDSON - (DESIGN AND ENGINEERING FIRM)

CDM SMITH PAC - HOUSTON - (DESIGN AND ENGINEERING CONTRACTOR WITH AWARDS FROM TRWD)

DONALD D'ADAM - AUSTIN - (ENGINEER ATKINS NORTH AMERICA - WATER ENGINEERING CONTRACTOR)

BRAD GORRONDONA - BURLESON - (OWNER GORRONDONA & ASSOCIATES - GEO TECH ENGINEERING)

THOMAS CAVER - AUSTIN - (OWNER CAVER & ASSOCIATES WATER RESOURCES CONSULTING)

TIMOTHY PETRUS - FT WORTH - (PRINCIPAL / MORNING STAR PARTNERS - OIL & GAS EXPLORATION)

KEVIN PATRICK - ASPEN CO - (ATTORNEY / WATERLAW PATRICK, MILLER, KROPF, & NOTO - WATER ATTORNEY)

DAVID PETTIT - FT WORTH - (PRINCIPAL / BENNET, BENNET, & PETTIT ARCHITECT AND PLANNERS)

MICHAEL BENNETT - FT WORTH - (PRINCIPAL / BENNET, BENNET, & PETTIT ARCHITECT AND PLANNERS)

BOOTH AHRENS WERKENTHIN - AUSTIN - (ENVIRONMENTAL LAW FIRM)

WILLIAM DILLON - PROSPER - (COO SR VP / BROWN & GAY ENGINEERS - CIVIL ENGINEERING - CONTRACTS AWARDED BY TRWD)

DORIAN FRENCH - DALLAS - (SR VP MAJOR PROJECTS / BROWN & GAY ENGINEERS - CIVIL ENGINEERING - CONTRACTS AWARDED BY TRWD)

CARL KROGNESS - FT WORTH (PROJECT MANAGER / BROWN & GAY ENGINEERS - CIVIL ENGINEERING - CONTRACTS AWARDED BY TRWD)

One of those on this list stuck out to me....

SHANNA CATE - FT WORTH - (PLANNING DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR TRINITY RIVER VISION)

Why would the Planning Director of the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle want to make a donation to help with the re-election of the TRWD Board Members? Job insurance for herself? Job insurance for a friend? Or a boyfriend? Did her boyfriend's mother tell her to make a donation?

And how much money did Shanna donate?

The Trinity River Vision Updates Rockin' The River Live On The Trinity

I don't know who pays for the slick 4 page, full color brochures the Trinity River Vision mails to my mailbox every once in awhile.

I'm sure the taxpayers are not footing the bill for this particular extravagance.

The primary focus of this latest TRV mailing seems to be the raging success of the Trinity River Vision's Rockin' the River Live on the Trinity Summer Tubing & Music Series.

Who could have guessed, back when the Trinity River Vision was first being seen, that by summer of 2011 so much progress would have been made in remaking the Trinity River that thousands of Texans would come from far and wide to float in that formerly polluted river.

Or, as the TRV Brochure puts it...

The response to Rockin' the River - Live on the Trinity has been astonishing. The event has grown to attract more than a thousand people from all over North Texas at each concert, and continues to grow as more people hear about the good times being had on the river.

Well, that is impressive. More than a thousand people. From all over North Texas. Coming to Fort Worth because they've heard of the good times to be had on the river.

And then there is this blurb from a TRV minion...

"We are just happy to be able to provide the public with a fun and free event where they can come get in the cool water and enjoy some great music," said Shelby Lyon, a TRVA staff member who helped coordinate the series. "People really seem to be having the time of their lives out there, and that's what it is all about."

Now, that is just about the saddest thing I've read this week. People are having the time of their lives floating in a polluted river? And that is what the TRV is all about? Providing the public with fun, free events? Was this what was envisioned when the Trinity River Vision first saw its vision?

The brochure has some other information besides touting the tubing. Like the TRWD sponsoring of an "Our River, Our Children" Art Contest. Near as I can tell this is some sort of propaganda operation filling young minds with visions of boondoggle grandeur.

Then there is a blurb about new mountain bike trails in Gateway Park. I've not seen these new mountain bike trails. The blurb also mentions that phase two will add five miles of trail which will include an elevation gain of 250 feet. With spectacular views of downtown. Since there is currently very little elevation gain in Gateway Park I can not help but wonder how this spectacular view is going to be acheived.

A big headline announces that "Cobb Park Construction is in Full Swing!" Apparently this is a centerpiece for the southeast Fort Worth renaissance.

The brochure includes an invite to the TRV Education Center where you can gain an in-depth understanding of the difficult to understand project.

We also learn that the Trinity River Vision Master Plan was recognized for Development Excellence by getting a coveted 2011 CLIDE Award from the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTGOC).

On page 3 of the brochure, there is a picture of JD Granger, Jennifer Harnish, Rachel Navejar and Shanna Cate at the NCTGOC luncheon.

I think I remember seeing JD and Shanna checking in to a Dallas hotel. I wonder if that was where the NCTGOC luncheon was held?

The back page of the TRV brochure is pretty much like the front page, devoted to Tubing the Trinity, with 9 photos of people doing the tubing.